Press Release: Out of the Marvellous

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Press Release

OUT OF THE MARVELLOUS National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny | www.nationalcraftgallery.ie

An exhibition by some of Ireland’s foremost makers and poets

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Sonja Landweer – Large Inverted Ovoid, ceramic

2 November 2012 – 16 January 2013 Opening Event: Friday 2 November, 2012 "...as the poet, like a master potter, slowly shapes on his word wheel the given clay into a vase, an urn, a bowl and … glazes it with living colour" - poet Eamonn Grennan on Seamus Heaney's collection, 'Human Chain' Out of the Marvellous is an exhibition of work by some of Ireland's foremost makers and poets, co-curated by Maureen Kennelly and Ann Mulrooney.

This show will trace the connections and shared sources of inspiration between both art forms, through selected pairings of poets and makers.

Featuring poetry, sound and objects, it seeks to create a moving and immersive environment in which the poetic beauty of both artforms can be

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enjoyed and appreciated.

Makers & Poets – shared ground Sonja Landweer and Seamus Heaney have shared a mutually inspirational friendship over many decades, with ‘To a Dutch Potter in Ireland’, written about Landweer, being the first poem he read at his acceptance of the Nobel Literature Prize in 1995; basketmaker Joe Hogan has long found insight and inspiration in the writing of Canadian poet Anne Michaels for his sculptural explorations of landscape and memory; as does ceramicist Frances Lambe in the writing of Derek Mahon, finding parallels in in the painstaking, slow care with which structure is built, and the way in which the fine detail of the world around us can lead to the abstract and the eternal; poet Vona Groarke cites the qualities of purity and simplicity in the work of metalworker Cóilín O Dubhghaill as qualities that she aspires to in her work as a writer, whilst he translates her words into three-dimensional form; and poet Gerard Smyth has written a number of pieces based on the work and inspiration of sculptural jeweller Angela O’Kelly, who has in turn used the poems as starting points for new wall-based work.

Why Poets & Makers?

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"There is a wonderful kinetic energy, a kind of sprung coil, present in the way poets and makers create, and a compelling texture to some of the best examples from both worlds.

Language is often a channel to understanding the world and objects can provide this too - I'm thinking of WG Sebald's line 'things know more about us than we know about them'" Maureen Kennelly, co-curator “Our connotations of craft are generally to do with functional work - the objects in Out of the Marvellous are not functional in the sense of daily utility.

Their aspirations are to move; to express; to communicate - through a deep engagement with making - some of their creator’s thoughts and feelings about the world. In this, they show their kinship with poetry”.

Ann Mulrooney, co-curator The exhibition is a co-production with Poetry Ireland and with Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, where it will tour in January 2013.

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Gallery Tours 3pm, Saturdays 1.15pm Thursdays

Crafternoon Tour Taster Tour

11am First Wednesdays

Bring Along Baby Tour

* Tour Booking required Further Media Information: Christine Monk | Irish Arts Publicity |087 675 5329 |

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christinemonk@eircom.net Further Media Information on Crafts Council of Ireland: Susan Brindley|Crafts Council of Ireland |056 779 6152 |

susan@ ccoi.ie

NOTES FOR EDITORS: 1. National Craft Gallery www.nationalcraftgallery.ie • We are Ireland’s leading centre for contemporary craft and design.

• We play a critical role in building understanding of craft and material culture.

• We exhibit Irish and international designers, artists and makers who push boundaries in their engagement with the making process.

• We inspire appreciation, creativity and innovation through our exhibition and education programme, and along with our touring programme we reach an audience of over 100,000 people annually.

2. Crafts Council of Ireland www.ccoi.ie The Crafts Council of Ireland (CCoI), which is headquartered in Kilkenny, is the main champion of the craft industry in Ireland, fostering its growth and commercial strength, communicating its unique identity and stimulating quality

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design, innovation and competitiveness. CCoI's activities are funded by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation via Enterprise Ireland. CCoI currently has over 70 member organisations and over 2,700 registered clients.

3. Solstice Arts Centre www.solsticeartscentre.ie Solstice is a multi-disciplinary Arts Centre committed to engaging with the community and enhancing audiences’ cultural and artistic experiences through a variety of mediums.

Contact: Emma Loughney | 046 909 2335 | emma@solsticeartscentre.ie