Irish Arts Review

From Muse to LaureateAuthor(s): Alison FitzgeraldSource: Irish Arts Review (2002-), Vol. 25, No. 2 (Summer, 2008), pp. 130-131Published by: Irish Arts ReviewStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20493328 .

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T o coincide with Kilkenny Arts Festival the National Craft Gallery will be hosting an exhibition entitled 'Image of Longing' curated by Karel Betman and

Martha Haveman of Galerie Beeld & Aambeeld in

the Netherlands. In 2004 the couple marked their jubilee year in

business by inviting artists to execute a piece of work dedicated

to an individual whom they regarded as inspirational. The con

cept was interpreted in its broadest sense and the laureates included singers, actors, artists and social activists. The motiva tions of the makers and the responses of their nominees were

documented in a catalogue and the event culminated with a

'Celebration of the Imagination' where 'laureates' were pre

sented with the pieces dedicated to them. Among the interna tional contingent chosen to participate in this exhibition were

Irish jewellers Celine Traynor and Des Doyle. For the Kilkenny show Betman and Haveman have selected

makers from a broad range of disciplines, which include ceram

ics, glass, furniture-making and textiles. The brief has been interpreted to include laureates within and outside of the craft field and institutions as well as individuals. Cormac Boydell and

Ann Mulrooney are among those who have chosen to acknowledge fellow practi tioners. Boydell (Fig 3) has nomi nated ceramicist John ffrench, who was honored by the Crafts

Council of Ireland with a ret

rospective exhibition in 2007. He speaks with enthusiasm about growing up around

ifrench's work at home, about

his artistry, and the enduring

freshness of his work. Alongside

his presentation piece, Boydell will show a vessel made at school in the

1960s illustrating an early debt to

ffrench's work and the beginning of his own

commitment to the production of ceramic art. Ann Mulrooney's laureate is Keith Wilson, sculptor-tutor at

the Royal College of Art (RCA). While studying for an MA at

the RCA in the early 1990s Mulrooney was encouraged by

Wilson to interrogate her work from an intellectual perspective. Mulrooney had previously regarded herself as 'a maker and

feeler rather than a thinker' so being challenged to extend her

frame of reference had a radical impact. Her design, cast in peat

moss, has a timeless, ancient quality. This correlates with her

desire to favour 'nature and the wild' in exploring the meta

physical tensions she perceives between ornament and nature. Like other exhibitors, she acknowledges Betman and

Haveman's non-prescriptive outlook, which rejects restrictive boundaries between fine and applied art.

Stevanl Hartung's exhibit is a small cabinet or set of draw ers, made from Macassor ebony and mounted on a pear wood stand (Fig 6). The piece is characterised by a purity of form, and materials have been carefully selected for their qualities of

~scontrast. Richly colored and striated ebony is offset by lighter

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FROM MUSE TO LAUREATE

DESIGN

toned, fine-grained pear wood. Hartung's respect for wood and

his craftsmanship are evident in a design that is marked by

restraint. It is fitting that the intended recipient of the work,

and Hartung's nominated laureate is Lama Yeshe Rinpoche,

abbot and retreat master at Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist

Monastery in Scotland. After graduating in Industrial Design

from the National College of Art and Design in 1990, and

completing a cabinetmaking apprenticeship in Berlin, Hartung

spent four years at Samye Ling Monastery. There, under

Rinpoche's mentorship he was able to develop his work in a

supportive and liberal environment, underpinned by the

Buddist commitment to 'mindfulness', which continues to

inform his professional practice.

For a number of exhibitors 'Image of Longing' offered an

opportunity to acknowledge personal debts to individuals or

institutions within the healthcare sector. Emmet Kane's piece is

dedicated to Crumlin Children's Hospital, and has been inspired

by the theme of 'Faith and Hope' (Figs 1 &2). Kane's motivation

to 'give something back' to a hospital, which he attended regu

larly during the first sixteen years of his life, echoes the senti

ments of fellow designer makers participating in the show. A

self-taught woodturner, Kane favours native Irish hardwoods

in his work, which he regularly combines with innovative use

of colour and gilding in precious and semi-precious metals.

Betman and Haveman have selected makers from a broad range of disciplines, which include ceramics, glass, furniture making and textiles

Themes of memory and loss will also be

explored in an installation by fashion

designer Adelle Hickey. Hickey, whose

father died prematurely at the age of

thirty-five has nominated the Irish Kidney

Association as the recipient for a presenta

tion piece. Her inspiration stems from the

premise that where loss is experienced, sur

face apprearances often mask what is deeply

felt. A wreath, composed of miniature

dresses has been superimposed with data

from a death certificate. The narrative is at

once singular and universal (Fig 4).

In March 2006, when Bob Geldof was

granted the freedom of the City of Dublin he

humorously noted the absence of a silver

presentation piece. From the late 17th cen

tury it became customary in Ireland to pres

ent honorary freemen with their certificate contained within a precious metal box.i These freedom boxes were highly valued forM sentimental, historical and material reasons and a number of them are on permanent

display in the National Museum, Collins

Barracks. For silversmith Seamus Gill a free

dom box for Geldof seemed the obvious

choice for his submission to the exhibition

(Fig 5). Not only did it offer a technically

challenging brief it ignited memories of a

personal and collective nature. After all, the

first single he had bought was Rat Trap by

The Boomtown Rats.

Save for a somewhat misleading title,

'Image of Longing' promises to be a success

on a number of levels. It has challenged the

participants creatively and personally, pro

vided a strong narrative hook to engage vis

itors to the exhibition, and offered a

showcase for excellence in terms of Irish

contemporary craft. For this, Betman and

Haveman should be justifiably proud. H

ALISON FITZGERALD is an IRCHSS Post-Doctoral

Fellow in Design History at University College Dublin.

'Image of Longing' National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny,

9 August - 5 October 2008.

1 EMMET KANE

Faith and Hope

(detail) 2008

Ebonised Irish oak

gilded with 23 carat

gold 106 x78cm

2 EMMET KANE

Faith and Hope

2008

3 CORMAC BOYDELL

Bhubaneswar

(for John) 2008

earthenware 33cm

4 ADELLE HICKEY

In Memory 2008

tissue paper

5 SEAMUS GILL

Freedom Box 2008

silver with 22 carat

gold plating 30.5 x

10 x 10.5cm

6 STEVAN HARTUNG

Bow-fronted set of

drawers on a stand,

Macassar ebony and

pear wood 2008

Small Photography

SUMMER 2008 IRISH ARTS REVIEW I 131

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