An ambitious new exhibition, which reimagines the potential of the North West of Ireland through art and architecture, has opened at the Model in Sligo.
‘Liminal Spaces, Art, Architecture and Place’ has been devised and developed in collaboration with Architectural Design staff at the Institute of Technology, Sligo.
The exhibition takes as its starting point, both the place and the poem ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ by W.B Yeats. It combines newly commissioned work by six noted Irish and international artists alongside a selection of the entries from the Yeats 2015 International Architecture Competition for the design of a temporary intervention for the island of Innisfree, which captured the imagination of contemporary architectural practices from around the world earlier this year.
“This is the culmination of a year-long collaboration with the Model, the artists and various other stakeholders,” explains Bernadette Donohoe, a lecturer in Architectural Design at IT Sligo, and a member of the exhibition’s curatorial team.
“This interdisciplinary venture offers an opportunity to encourage both social engagement and future dialogue regarding the creative flux of the region,” says Cliona Brady who is a member of the exhibition’s curatorial team. “It provides the chance to address key issues of global importance such as memory, identity, sociopolitical nuances, and sense of place and explores its relevance for future place-making through the use of creative practices.”
The exhibition features the work of six artists: Felicity Clear, Michele Horrigan, Maurice O’Connell, Andy Parsons, Corban Walker and Clea van der Grijn.
“Curating and working alongside artists, architects and practitioners committed to intelligent investigation, Liminal spaces incorporates social engagement and aesthetic values whilst referencing both Thoreau and Yeats notion of a Utopian place “ explains artist and curator Clea van der Grijn.
The project has been made possible by the support of Hazelwood Demesne Ltd, Yeats2015, IT Sligo, Western Development Commission (WDC) and The Model, Sligo.
A special publication, which documents the creative process around this special Yeats 2015 collaboration, is due to be published before the end of the year.
The exhibition’s curatorial team comprises Cliona Brady, Bernadette Donohoe, Megan Johnston, Michael Roulston, Marianne O’Kane Boal and Clea van de Grijn.
‘Liminal Spaces: Art, Architecture and Place’ runs at the Model in Sligo until December 23rd.