LCGA: reCollections - Lady of Lourdes Active Group - 4th June - 15 July 2004

reCollections

Lady of Lourdes Active Group

Limerick City Gallery of Art
4th June - 15 July 2004

Susan Bresnan ~ Mavis Browne ~ Frances Greaney ~ Marie Greensmith ~ Eithne Martin ~ Bridget McDonagh ~ Claire Rainsford

reCollections is a collaborative, responsive installation with the Our Lady of Lourdes Active Group, Ruth Brennan and Pippa Little, supported by the Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme managed by CREATE.

The Our Lady of Lourdes Active group have explored their own memories and art from Ireland's public collections to create an installation that celebrates their histories, recollections and experiences. They have created a collaborative, responsive installation that will change and develop throughout its display, over six weeks at Limerick City Gallery of Art. The group will interact with the exhibition Corpus-women artists and embodiment at Limerick City Gallery of Art from June 4th and respond to specific artworks in it as an inspiration to further develop reCollections, their own interpretation of collections. The project allows a unique interaction with a selection of artworks from public collections throughout Ireland including Limerick City Gallery of Art, IMMA, Dublin City Gallery-Hugh Lane, Model Arts and Niland Gallery, Butler Gallery and Crawford Municipal Gallery.

Since the beginning of April the Our Lady of Lourdes Active Group have been meeting every Monday in the Our Lady of Lourdes Community Action Centre in Rosbrien to make art that celebrates their experiences and memories. They visited Limerick City Gallery of Art, to view ev+a and the permanent collection. Many of the group remembered the building from its previous use as the Carnegie Library and Museum. This resulted in a sound piece that will be played in the gallery of a collection of narratives about the building. These women have explored new mediums and their own memories to create a very personal artwork that celebrates their histories, recollections and experiences.

Collections of objects displayed publicly in the gallery, or privately in the home are valuable possessions. Identity is a core strand of the project as collections form a basis to work from, both personal and public. A collection is rarely ever finished and it is often defined by what is missing from it. This installation mediates between the public and the private. Personal memories and objects that are valuable because of their association with these are used as a source to explore identity and to celebrate experience. The installation reCollections is an exploration of the value of objects, both materially and emotionally.

In association with the Our Lady of Lourdes Community Action Centre, Rosbrien, Limerick. The Community Action Centre provides secretarial services, Welfare Rights Information, Local Employment Services Office, Estate Management Office, Adult Education, Meals on Wheels, Fas employment and the P.A.U.L. Partnership.

Ruth Brennan graduated with a first class honours degree from LSAD in 2003. She was artist in residence at Galloglass Theatre Company (1997). She has recently been working in Clonmel on the Junction Arts Festival.

Pippa Little graduated with a MA in Gallery Studies (Distinction) from the University of Essex in 2003. She is currently undertaking further research with LSAD and LCGA under the Shinnors Scholarship. She is curator of Corpus-women artists and embodiment at Limerick City Gallery of Art.

reCollections 4 June-15 July at Limerick City Gallery of Art
Please phone Pippa Little (061) 310633 for additional information.