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And while you may think you know little about design or what it means outside of architecture, the Monumentality/Fragility exhibition in the National Design and craft Gallery in the Castle Yard may change all that.
I wandered in there and inside the door of the gallery space on the left Universum.
It is the work of Marian Bijenga from Holland and it centres around her fascination with dots, lines and contours.
You can see why when you consider their rhythmical movements and as Maian says; “By the empty space between them.”
One installation encourages you to talk into a microphone to make vessels sing.
The installation that respond to human voice suggests an experience that is an antidote to the traditionally hushed gallery environment.
The people who visit the gallery are encouraged to speak to trigger the vessels’ reaction through gentle movement and to explore how voice translates into motion.
Created in collaboration with sound specialists John Henry’s Ltd and operated solely by analogue audio equipment it is completely different and worth exploring.
Lucie Houdková
The fragility of Lucie Houdková’s jewellery is incredible.
The pieces are created from tiny organisms, polyps, which live on the seabed.
These polyps are sensitive to any change in the environment.
“They are creating monumental units that change and constantly transform the seabed as my jewellery the human body,” Lucis said of her work.
There are many other fascinating exhibits and it is worth exploring.
Butler Gallery
Across the road in Kilkenny Castle, the exhibition, continues but downstairs in the Butler Gallery another soulful experience awaits.
Again it’s a feast for the senses. All the paintings in Poulaphouca: New Paintings & Works on Paper, by Sam Reveles are abstract and based on landscapes in Co Wicklow.
The use of lines from which to spring the image is really interesting.
The Texan born painter likes to explore the expressive possibilities of line and space to create abstract compositions inspired by landscape, and ideas about infinity as seen in different aspects in nature.
Reveles’ studio is situated opposite one of the Blessington Lakes in Wicklow and is surrounded by stunning landscape and spectacular night skies.
While Reveles is not a plein air painter, this body of work comes closest to him working outside observing all as he constantly moves in and out of his studio.
These paintings are about how landscape mutates, how shapes take form, and how the artist remembers these shapes.