The opening launch of ‘Experiments in Art and Archaeology’, an exhibition of film and photography from Swedish-Irish experimental heritage explorations created by Karum-Creevagh will take place in the Burren Storehouse, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, at 7pm on Tuesday evening, the 24th of September.
There will be many live events at the opening with presentations on archaeological and cultural heritage insights on Öland, Sweden from special guests Bodil Petersson and Hans Gurstad-Nilsson. Contributions from Danny Burke and Maria Kerin will be based on their experiences with the experimental heritage process and Kilshanny.
Deirdre Carr and Hans Gurstad-Nilsson will create a live performance through poetry and music for the special evening.
Karum-Creevagh are Swedish and Irish artists, archaeologists and cultural heritage producers. The name Karum-Creevagh emanates from two specific areas in Clare, Ireland and on the island of Öland, Sweden. Those exhibiting work from Karum Creevagh include Bodil Petersson, Hans Gurstad-Nilsson, Kristina Kvamme, Anna-Karin Andersson from Sweden and Danny Burke, Maria Kerin, Michael Walsh, Patricia McKenna from Ireland with a film from guest Bodil Magnusson from “Experimental Herirtage, Öland”.
Running from the 24th to the 27th September, the exhibition showcases a series of new exploratory films and photographs specifically made during this year for this exhibition. Poetry, music, performance, dance, movement, visual arts, physical surveys, writing, mapping, and excavations are all expressions used by Karum-Creevagh and inform this exhibition. The outcomes include the film Dowsing for Eels made by Danny Burke with Maria Kerin, which evolved from a dream about eels in Kilshanny and holy wells. Patricia McKenna and Hans Gurstad-Nilsson show a sample of Amber, a sound and visual installation around the theme of amber. The land of Promise #1, a film (work in progress) by Deirdre Carr with Hans Gurstad-Nilsson is also being shown. It explores the landscape of three world heritage sites, the Burren, Stora Alvaret and limestone Kotel of Jerusalem.
The artistic-archaeological expressions on display at the Storehouse, Lisdoonvarna, such as the films Moving the Ship and Dowsing for Eels are results of a methodical approach developed from experiencing landscapes by focusing on the use of bodily senses – vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch and the sense of bodily position. Movement-based explorations in the landscape are an important part of the process to start to understand relations with the landscape. Working with materials such as stone and water, Karum-Creevagh explores concepts of movement and time.
The multitemporal, that is, our world and its many layers of different times at the same time, is a consciously chosen perspective. By combining art, archaeology, and heritage in a landscape setting they merge their practices in a combined expression, ‘experimental heritage’ that in turn reveals previously unknown, or hidden, aspects of heritage and landscapes. Together with people and communities inhabiting the Irish and Swedish landscapes explored, they try to unveil relationships between all and the surrounding landscapes and their contents relating to both nature and culture.
The exhibition of films, photographs and text will run from 12 noon to 5.30 pm Wednesday, Thursday Friday, 25, 26 and 27th September 2019.
Main funders: Linnaeus University. Supported by Clare County Council and Creative Ireland Programme. Burren Storehouse are kindly hosting the exhibition.
For more information: https://experimentalheritage.com