Check Out Our Trash Culture Revue Programme For Saturday 19th May

moray mair | All about mutantspace | May 18, 2012

Saturdays DIY Arts Festival programme sees a wide range of workshops, readings, talks, gigs and theatre.

First up is a full day workshop in Theatre of the Oppressed techniques in the Cork Circus Space on Albert Quay. It runs from 10am – 5pm and there are still some spaces available. It’s €40 for the day. Theatre of the Oppressed describes a range of theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated on in the 1960s. Boals techniques use theatre as means of knowledge and transformation of reality in the social and relational field. In the Theatre of the Oppressed, the audience becomes active, such that as “spect-actors” they explore, show, analyze and transform the reality in which they are living.

From 10am – 12pm we’re delighted to be hosting teenage poetry readings in the Cork Central Library. ‘Why Can’t you Write Something Happier’ is the second book of poetry and prose from the young members of the Colaiste an Phiarsaigh creative writing group which has been facilitated by Cork poet Kathy D’Arcy since 2011. So why not pop in and listen to these talented young writers read their sometimes hilarious, sometimes thought-provoking work.

Solidarity Books on Douglas Street are hosting a day of talks beginning at 10am with ‘Time Banking’. At 12pm there will be a discussion on Autonomy and the financial system, at 2pm a talk on Counter-culture and counter-power in the 18th century and at 3.30pm a workshop about building a personal and collectively more sustainable resistance. Veg Out, a vegan café, will be doing food during the talks and discussions.

Bloom Boom is a street performance piece that will be ongoing throughout the afternoon on the streets of Cork City centre. Kathryn Crowley will be bringing the colours of nature to the concrete and spreading some smiles, giving out flowers, positive quotes and poetry.

At 4pm at The Roundy Round House Productions will be showing their one woman show, ‘Magazine’. A show about city life, the media, living the ideal and coming to terms with loss and grief.
At the same time as the theatre show we’ll be hosting two workshops at The Camden Palace Hotel. The first is a Comedy Workshop at 4pm presented by comedian Aidan Killeen and the second is a Spontaneous Speech Workshop at 4.30pm, in the same venue, and run by Dave Rocks.

At 6.30pm in The Roundy the wonderful Pearse McGloughlin and the Nocturnes and special guest Justin Grounds will be performing a chilled out set inbetween the madness of the Rugby European Cup Final and the Football Champions League Final.

Then more theatre at 8pm in The Camden Palace Hotel where Crooked Wheel Productions will be performing ‘Couch’. It’s a short play about Rachel, Leah and the people in their life. The focal point of the play is the couch – both Rachel’s and Leah’s. Rachel has one but disdains it while Leah’s couch is colonised, soiled and ultimately swapped for something she really doesn’t want but is compelled to take. At only 50 minutes it’s well worth checking out. Best of all it’s donations only.

167 total views, 1 today

Trash Culture Revue Line Up For Friday 18th May

moray mair | All about mutantspace | May 17, 2012

So tomorrows line up for our DIY Arts Festival is a really full programme of events with everything from circus to comedy, spoken word to theatre and film to music.

Kicking off at 6m at The Triskel Arts Centre are the Lords Of Strut, Ireland’s hardest working Man – Band . They’re premiering their new show, ‘Sell Out Tour’, which I’m assured will blow your minds and bring you to your knees laughing.
So who are these kings of comedy, these clowns of manlihood? Well they’re a two man band; Famous Seamus and his bumbling younger brother Seantastic who seems to be – in the eyes of Seamus – the only reason they’ve not reached the heights of fame which Seamus expects of his untouchable talents.Expect satire, surrealism and silly comedy with flashes of surprising acrobatic skill and dance routines.

At 7pm we have our seventh Mutant Shorts Film Competition at The Roundy. This time round we decided on the theme of ‘Lego’ so it’ll be interesting to see what the filmmakers have come up with. And as always a big thanks must go out to the Cork Film Centre who have donated a prize of three days free film equipment rental.

At 8pm Terry Dineen will be performing her one woman show, ‘The Birth Day’ at The Camden Palace Hotel. It tells the story of a woman who plunges herself into an emotional journey through life. On the way significant scenes are depicted from her birth, through her youth, to middle age. We follow her life as she discovers the joys and pains of sex, love and work in her struggle to come to terms with herself and the world she lives in.
This is a text based work explored through visual images, music, movement, puppetry and clown.

At 9pm is our Mutant Cabaret – the chance for all mutants to perform at The Roundy. We have a great line up all MCed by the fantastic Tina Pisco. On the bill are:
Dave Rock, a poet and performer based in Galway whose stage poetry comes in many flavours but is sure to involve high-energy joyous physical works and works of raw emotion and possibly some freestyling.
Aidan Killian, a banker turned comedian…nothing apparently funny about that but it is. Very funny.
Kathy D’Arcy a young writer whose first poetry collection, Encounter, was published by Lapwing in 2010. She has worked as a doctor and a teacher and is currently involved in youth work with homeless teenagers in Cork. She is also a playwright and part of a performance group of four women, Catch the Moon, who have appeared in Cork and at the Durrow and Flatlake Literary Festivals.
Deirdre Tunney is a young performer who loves to sing and is going to join in wherever possible.
Horsemen Pass By (formerly known as Beastmen B-Side Sessions) are a two – piece band playing original soundtracks to recut forgotten films. Using guitars, electronic beats, sampled horns, strings and the occasional choir their show promises weird visuals set against spaghetti western, Soviet sci-fi, 50s documentary and zombie horror sounds.
Anja Bakker is a recorder player, harper, singer and conductor who lives in West Cork and will be performing with Tina Pisco who asides from being the MC is also a published writer and poet.

212 total views, 0 today

The Trash Culture Revue Is Finally Addressing The Political

moray mair | All about mutantspace | May 16, 2012

One day to go until our DIY Arts festival kicks off. We’re all set. What’s most interesting about this edition of The Trash Culture Revue is the number of events focussed on political and social commentary. Something that is central to what our skills exchange is all about. We don’t live in a vacuum and it seems that finally, finally, people are starting to engage, get involved in what’s going on around them, in the larger scheme of things, how politics, the way we live, our social relations, are at the core of our being, our relevant to us, all of us, in life, how we live, work and play. So I thought I’d give you a run down on some of our events that look to provoke, enlighten, question.

On Thursday night at 8pm we’re screening the two documentaries at Solidarity Books on Douglas Street; ’Jana Sanskriti – A theatre on the field’, a film by Jeanne Dosse (2007) and ‘D.I.Y. or Die: How to Survive as an Independent Artist‘, a film by Michael W. Dean (2004)

Jana Sanskriti is centred on the fight by over 1000 peasants in India to overcome numerous social issues including; patriarchy, corruption, and worst of all, indifference. For this fight, they chose an unexpected instrument, theatre.
Through brave testimonies and parts of their forum – theatre plays, members of Jana Sanskriti (‘The People’s Culture’) reveal a solidarity in India. The group, based in West Bengal, is part of a large movement spread throughout ten different states in India utilising the methods of Theatre of the Oppressed.

Theatre of the Oppressed is a form of social theatre devised by Augusto Boal, in Brazil, in the 1960s in which theatre is used as a means of knowledge and transformation of reality in the social and relational field – the audience becoming active, ‘spect-actors’, exploring, showing, analyzing and transforming the reality in which they are living. In tandem with that documentary we will be hosting a one day introduction in Theatre of the Oppressed techniques on Saturday 19th in the Cork Circus Space on Albert Quay (check out our programme for details).

The other film, ‘D.I.Y. or Die: How to Survive as an Independent Artist’ is a low-budget documentary, a ‘celebration of the underdog’ that deals with why some artists do what they do, regardless of the lack of a continuous paycheck. They may be painters, writers or musicians, they may be rich, poor or starving, but they all have one thing in common – they all create for the sake of creating something and for the need to express themselves. In the spirit of the D.I.Y. culture it portrays the DVD was released under the title, ‘D.I.Y. or Die: Burn this DVD’, with no region restrictions or copy protection, urging people to make and distribute copies for non-commercial use.

So I hope you can make it to those documentaries and if not then at least look them up, download them, buy them, get a loan of them.

309 total views, 0 today

DIY Cork Festival Ties Up Loose Ends

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | April 18, 2012

Last night’s DIY Cork meeting was a wrap up, a finalisation, a finishing off. Again it was quiet but a few more turned up – some new faces, eager people who had a lot to contribute. With so little time to go the hour was spent tidying up loose ends and assigning duties to those present; promotion, marketing, finalising venues, events and such like.

First up was the matter of insurance. We’re not going for it. There aren’t enough events happening and those that are going ahead are already taking place in insured buildings. Having said that we still need money for printing costs so all those that are hosting events will need to donate money for that. If you’re a part of DIY – but not involved in an event – and want to donate a little money anyway that would be great. We need it. We have nothing.

This brings us to a crucial point. What events are actual happening during DIY Cork? Well we still don’t know, people haven’t been updating our group page, or emailing us, so we are, as usual, without clear and concise information. So, over the next few days I will be looking for people to tell me if they’re in or out, if their event is happening or not. We are at the end now. The poster has to be designed, the listings have to be done, press release has to be written.
So by this Friday we need to know what is going ahead. At the moment the following events are definitely happening:

The Garden Of Imagination with Yvonne Coughlan
Moving Image Mini Film Festival with Yvonne Coughlan
Creative Writing For Everyone (Workshop and Get Published) with Gavin Ryan
YMCA/LifeFM/Haven
The Carrig Sound Gig
Theatre Of The Oppressed Workshop
Trash Culture Revue with Mutantspace Arts Skills Exchange

The possible events are:

Let’s Play Auditions with Celine Spengeman
Freedom 2 Film with Rumhann Howard-Hildige
Family Barbi On The Beach with Clodagh Monks
Africa Day launch

Once we know which events are going ahead the poster can be finished and printed off. In the meantime we’ll be doing up a simple timetable and posting it up online. Once the timetable is up everyone on the diy list – that’s 80+ people – will be asked to download at least 10 programmes and stick them around the beautiful City of Cork; shops, cafes, community centres, offices, etc. Everyone needs to pitch in.
Posters have to be printed and put up by the end of April at the latest.

444 total views, 1 today

DIYcork Festival Is Coming Down To The Wire

moray mair | Culture and politics | April 4, 2012

Another DIY Cork meeting done and dusted. It was a quiet meeting. It was cold. It was also clear that things are coming right down to the wire. There’s not much room left for talking, discussing, surmising. It’s now all about action. There’s less than five weeks to go before the festival starts so there are three things that HAVE to be sorted; insurance, projects finalised, deadlines.

Let’s start with insurance. A few people have been on about the money due to cover the costs. So I just want to make this clear. As was said at the very beginning, in January, there was always going to be insurance and printing costs. The amount due was dependent on the number of people and projects involved in DIYCork. The initial cost was based on an approximation – an insurance cost of €240 and €60 for printing. It was also agreed that organisations would pay more, individuals less. As it stands we will all have to pay more than what was originally thought – €20 for organisations and €5 for individuals –but it shouldn’t be much more, a few quid is all.

That leads us onto two issues; projects and deadlines.
We need to know how many projects are definitely going ahead, what they are, where they’re happening, etc. The ABSOLUTE FINAL DEADLINE FOR PROJECTS is Tuesday 17th April. If you don’t have your project in by then it’s too late. Doors closed, horse bolted, etc. By that date we need to know; venue, date, time, cost. We’ll also need blurb for the press.

287 total views, 1 today

DIY Cork Festival Meeting Starts Working On The Endgame

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | March 24, 2012

I wasn’t at the last DIY Cork Community Festival meeting but fortunately Sinead was so she wrote up this synopsis and sent it on to me. So thanks Sinead.

Good meeting last Tuesday, some new faces as well as old. Ideas and projects continue to come in and things are taking shape. Those present discussed ideas and projects that are underway and reports back to date sound really good! The FB group page is active enough and we would encourage all those with projects to post them up and keep the group page active.

Time was spent discussing how to encourage the inclusion of the non – arts projects – activities and events that fall under the general ‘Cork culture’ category – and to keep spreading the word about the festival. A few people took it upon themselves to be active diyCork ‘ambassadors’ and get in contact with organisations that would have ongoing existing events/activities they could include over the next two weeks. Deadlines are fast approaching but can be flexible – within reason.

Locations and premises for work was brought up as a ‘need’ for a couple of projects so it has to be a definite topic on the next meeting’s agenda. Speaking of agendas, there was a suggestion to ask people in advance to set the next meeting’s agenda so an agenda.doc has been set up on our FB group page. Suggestions can also be mailed on to corkdiy@gmail.com.

243 total views, 0 today

DIY Cork Meeting On The Ethos Of The Project

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | February 15, 2012

We had our first sub – group meeting for diyCORK last night. It was held to clarify many of the thoughts and opinions that came up in the general meetings over the past three weeks. Everyone was invited to attend. Four people turned up. We sat down and worked through everything for an hour or so and came up with the following.

A series of ‘truths’ that cover the festival, a charter of sorts, a list of intent, intention. A framework, an ethos, a series of statements that reflect the diyCORK project
A practical list that everyone must adhere to if the project is to happen

Naturally everyone is free to add, edit, question at our next meeting which is on Tuesday 21st February @ 7pm at The Roundy Bar, Cork City. If you can’t make it let me know.

373 total views, 0 today

The DiyCORK Festival Meeting Went A Long Way Down The Right Road

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | February 8, 2012

Our 2nd meeting for the now named diyCORK festival – that will be running from 14 – 20 May – was held last night. It had a different shape than our opening meeting. There was less talk of a grand idea. We stuck to the practical, to needs, to confusion that needed clarification. We needed to come out of the room with a clearer picture, a resolve to make it happen. Like everything in its infancy there was much discussion on how to build a good foundation, an environment that would both foster and promote active engagement, ideas, process and connection. This is always difficult as everyone comes with their own baggage, language, agenda, needs, wants, desires. I think we did well last night.

The first challenge was to try and keep the discussion to an hour, to keep it on track, purposeful. In the week preceding the meeting everyone was told that we would be discussing three issues:

The writing up of a charter that we as a group would all agree to
A structure that we would all agree to work within
An open floor for ideas, thoughts, etc

So, on the matter of the charter we decided that the groups and individuals involved in diyCORK will trust and be responsible to the collective. This means:

They would not undertake any project that would endanger the project or the personal safety of anyone involved
They would not undertake a project in which they would overuse or take advantage of the collective resources of the group to complete their project
They would be responsible for their own project
They would not abuse the trust given to them by the collective
That if there is no trust there is no point
That co – operation between different groups and individuals will be encouraged in order to foster closer relationships between different communities of people
That the project is totally inclusive
Continue reading »

347 total views, 0 today

The Quiet Club Perform At Days On End Sonic Arts Festival This Friday

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | February 7, 2012

The Quiet Club and Gasp at End play at the inaugral Days On End Sonic Arts Festival this Friday 10th at The Roundy, Cork. its a free gig and kicks off at 6pm. So who are The Quiet Club and Gasp at End?

The Quiet Club have been together since 2006 and are recognised as one of Ireland’s leading sound art improvisation groups. They frequently play together with guests including Rhodri Davies, Stephen Vitiello, Mark Wastell, John Godfrey, Harry Moore, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Steve Roden, David Toop, and many others.

As artists they continue to push the boundaries of sound making and listening by employing a wide range of sound making devices ranging from stones, homemade instruments, electronics, amplified textures, theremins, field recordings, etc. Their first CD, Tesla, was released in 2009 and a new release is planned for 2012.

A CD SOUNDCAST 4×4+1 featuring their work has recently been released on Farpoint Recordings. They have become widely known and respected for their durational work with performances at times ranging from four to twelve hours. They also curate work and their annual “Sonic Vigil” has become the country’s premier sound art improvisation event.

244 total views, 0 today

DIY Peoples Festival In Cork Sparks Off At It’s First Meeting

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | January 25, 2012

Last night we had our first meeting for the inaugural Peoples Festival, a DIY Festival that we’re going to host in May 2012 in Cork City. The idea is simple – we want everyone and everywhere, in Cork, to express themselves; their culture, tradition, history, place. We want to give individuals, communities, associations, groups, co-operatives the opportunity to meet new people, make new connections and show the world the true nature of themselves, the place in which they live, the history and tradition in which they inhabit.

Festivals have always been an occasion in which the community get together to celebrate. However, that rich history, that tradition, has been eroded over time and now we live in a country in which festivals are no more than a vehicle to sell product, culture itself has become commodified for consumption. We want to change that. We want to illustrate the fluidity of culture, the living, breathing sense of it. And to that end we have lit a fire.

To be honest I didn’t think anyone would turn up last night. Myself, Sinead and William from Cork Community Artlink had quickly put this together over a couple of coffees. We had hit common ground before Christmas and strongly felt that it was about time to do something. That there was no time left to sit on the sidelines shouting. It was time to do it ourselves. So a date and place was picked for an initial meeting and we sent out invites to as many people as we could.

Last night over 45+ people turned up. Unbelievable, amazing, gratifying, wonderful, exciting.
We had no real idea of how it would go or what we were going to say. What we did know was that we wanted to make it clear that this was about collective will and co-operation. About a non- hierarchical model that was not led by a few but grew out of the many. That it was about growing out of the ground and not being judged from the top.
No minutes were taken. This is what I remember;

697 total views, 0 today

A Peoples DIY Festival In Cork 2012, You Interested?

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | December 20, 2011

In the lead up to the Irish Budget, Occupy Cork organised a March of Defiance – which was part of a National Occupy campaign – in Cork City. As part of that march Cork Community Artlink were asked to get involved, to make props, flags, posters. In other words bring a more creative aspect to the proceedings. It was after that action that I, from this skills exchange, and William and Sinead from Artlink decided we would carry this idea further and move this creative defiance onto the next step. And so it was that two weeks ago we sat down and trashed it out, threw ideas around and came up with what amounts to a risk, a possibility, a chance, an opportunity to create something new, something that belongs to all of us – a peoples festival. No name yet, nothing definite, except that it would be a series of events created and produced by the people of cork; community groups, organisations and associations, development projects, charities, artist co-operatives, studios, dance and theatre companies, musicians, businesses, venues.

So how are we going to make this work? Is it practical, do-able, are we able?
We are busy people, all of us, you and me, all trying desperately to keep our heads above water, broke, everything tight, on the line, on the edge. On the face of it, it seems nigh on impossible to develop any sort of project in this state of crisis, in this recession. But, and it’s a big but, if we find a way to come together and share our skills, resources, time and energy to develop, create and produce these events, talks, tea parties, gigs, workshops, films, plays, musicals, talent shows, street theatre, kids events, parties, puppet shows, art exhibitions, craft exhibitions, storytelling, sport events, neighbourhood picnics, projections, historical walking tours, etc in the city and in the different communities around the city we could make a seismic change in the cultural life of this city. Set an example to everyone. Make our claim.

619 total views, 0 today

Cooking Up A Festival Fire

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | December 14, 2011

Christmas time has arrived. Finally. I love it. Work is now all about tying up the loose ends of a busy year and diverting energy to nights out, dinner in with friends, future projects and possibilities. A clean sheet and new wonders beckon in the New Year.
Yesterday was a case in point.
The day was cold, dry and my mind was empty of detail and deadlines. A meeting with William and Sinead from Cork Community Artlink illuminated the possibility of something wonderful happening in this small City next year – a people’s festival, created and produced by the communities of Cork. A new chapter, a new effort, a radical shift, call it what you will, the beginnings of a great fire, a spark, renewed will, a collective effort to make a mark on our place, our space. After such positive imaginings I was all set for having my sister and a friend for dinner. Nothing fancy but something my wife and I rarely do on a Tuesday night.

387 total views, 0 today

Art Trail Hit By Brand Ireland

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | December 8, 2011

Last week saw Corks only Visual Arts Festival being cut of its core funding by the high and mighty bureaucrats in the Irish Arts Council. It is a disgrace. And I’ll tell you why. As you may know already I have little time for the state and its myriad of institutions. They have, especially over the last 10 – 15 years, turned the arts into a cultural machine that’s sole purpose is to produce work to satisfy the market, ‘Brand Ireland’, and turn artists into funding addicts unable to function without the intervention of the state.

Hyperbole? Perhaps, but you only have to look at the number of arts quangos, arts officers in the local authorities around the country and the National Campaign For The Arts to see the huge number of self interested bodies who are fighting to keep the status quo. They want the system to remain the same. A position that, as far as I’m concerned, is ultimately detrimental to a vibrant artistic culture in this country. This isn’t an argument between artistic visionaries and institutions, this is about the battle for cultural values, ideas, imagination, dreams, the future, the past. Those who wish to keep the status quo are inherently conservative and intent, at all costs, to hang on to what are essentially public sector privileges; annual salaries, sick pay and holiday allowances, etc. Infact there is a good argument to be made that artists, theatre companies, organisations, etc have developed arts programmes to fit funding guidelines thus creating a self perpetuating cultural machine that spits out mediocre, meaningless tripe in return for taxpayers money. The more money you feed it the more bland, generic, tourism friendly, easy, dull work is produced.

672 total views, 0 today

Our Skills Exchange Hits The ArtTrail Visual Arts Festival 2011

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | November 2, 2011

This month sees our skills exchange participating in the ArtTrail Visual Arts Festival that’s held every year in Cork. We’re delighted to be involved and are looking forward to two weeks of art, discussions and workshops. If you want to know more about what we’re doing check out our Trash Culture Revue

With economic and political issues to the fore this year’s ArtTrail Festival turns its attention to National Interest.
Having posed this theme to the artistic community, the festival will present selected projects in various venues across Cork City centre from Friday November 18th to Sunday December 4th .
The responses reflect concerns of the art world itself as well as considering wider cultural interpretations, uses and misuses of these words.

Questions of cultural identity arise as being of interest or under threat. Many artists are concerned with emblems of nationhood. The Declaration of Independence and Ireland’s online identity are broken down and re-presented in the work of Neil Butler (Irl), while Kent Gustaffson (Swe) interrogates the symbolism, individuality, and similarity of national anthems. Others such as Swiss photographer duo Goran Galic & Gian-Reto Gredig, Catherine Harty (Irl) and Aideen Dolan (Irl) challenge the authority of news media and self-representation. Through the prism of the tourist industry in Bosnia, MA BICE BOLJE/It’ll Get Better by Galic & Gredig examines the conflict of national interests that leads to war. While some of these projects touch on the self-reflective nature of art others address this area more specifically. Italian curators Marianna Liosi and Alessandra Saviotti will chair a panel discussion considering the current political and economic difficulties and responses by artists to this situation.

241 total views, 0 today

The Cork Folk Festival a Celebration of Irish Culture

moray mair | Life in a cultural petri dish | September 28, 2011

Finally we’ve arrived at The Cork Folk Festival. It’s always a special event. Partly, because it’s a non apologetic celebration of Irish cultural tradition as well as being a welcoming space for musicians and folk artists from all cultures throughout the world but mostly because it has no time for wearing the Emperors clothes out of the cultural tourism closet. It is what it is; old fashioned craic with people, about people, amongst people, with great music and dancing, camaraderie and joy and spirit.

The event is run by volunteers for decades – this is its 32nd year – and somehow it has managed to swim the tide of great change without sacrificing its essence, its soul, its reason for being unlike so many festivals throughout Ireland that are increasingly becoming bland, generic, homogenised.

412 total views, 0 today

Page 1 of 312 3

search our blog

Trash Gigs 17 – 19 May

Friday 17th May
Mutant Cabaret @ 9pm The Roundy, Cork
Hans Dens @ 8pm Gulp'd, Cork

Saturday 18th May
The Urchin Collective @ 8pm Gulp'd, Cork

Sunday 19th May
Cormac O’Caoimh and Stuart Wilde @ 7.30pm Gateway Bar, Cork

check out our skills bank

Check out our bank where we pool all our skills for the benefit of our mutantspace members. It's free to join and registration only takes a minute

submissions to our blog

we're always delighted to publish your work in our blog. So If you want your art seen by thousands of people then go to our submissions page to get more info