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VAI Event
Visual Artists’ News Sheet | January – February 2022
Installation view L to R: Ita Grattan, I worry about the Sea, 2021, oils and dark blue ink on acquired cupboard shelf 8cm x 21 cm, Jules Charlton, A dark Wave #26, 2021, acrylic on paper 56 x 80 cm, Kevin Ryan, Moon Jellies, 2021, photograph on corry board 60cm x84 cm; photo by Lisa Kinneen, courtesy of Andi McGarry, the artists, and Glacier Gallery St Patrick’s Bridge.
LIKE MANY OTHER arts organisations, the VAI staff debated at length on
Sustainable Ambition JOANNE LAWS REPORTS ON VAI GET TOGETHER 2021.
how to host our Get Together event – Ireland’s annual forum for visual artists, which was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefits and disadvantages of physical and virtual events were discussed in detail; however, since the possibility of further lockdowns and cancellations in autumn 2021 could not be ruled out, it was decided to proceed with a three-day online event, hosted through the digital conference platform, Balloon. This online format had the added advantage of allowing contributors to beam in from across the world, including speakers in America, Europe and the UK, who otherwise might not have been able to attend. For the most part, the platform was user-friendly, offering a festival-like format, with talks happening on different ‘stages’. Other functions allowed direct messaging, one-to-one video chats, or ad hoc group discussions – perceived as the closest virtual equivalent of going for a coffee with someone. Staple Get Together formats – such as Artists Speak, Speed Curating, panel discussions and specialist clinics – were all hosted virtually, and while attendees missed the spontaneity of real-life encounters, everyone seemed to enjoy the events, nonetheless. Artists Speak The three-day event was officially launched by Kevin Rafter, Chair of The Arts Council, on the morning of Tuesday 5 October. Atoosa Pour Hosseini commenced the first Artists Speak session, offering vibrant insights into her moving image practice, with a focus on themes of displacement and alienation. Atoosa outlined recent exhibitions, and the purchase of a suitcase containing 50 reels of Super 8 film (comprising footage of insects, birds and plants) which the artist spent six months digitising for future use. Responding to a core theme of Get Together 2021, Andi McGarry
