Cork Ignite
- Audio Description
A dazzling mix of technologies; riverside buildings brought to life through wild projections and an accompanying music score
Cork Ignite, Union Quay, Cork
Friday 18th September 2015
Simon Mckeown, renowned international artist, presentd a free live art event during Cork’s Culture Night 2015, as one of three “Ignite” commissions, which represent the largest ever investment in Ireland’s arts and disability sector.
Ignite is a new platform designed to generate Ireland’s most ambitious showcasing of talent from people with disabilities, led by international and Irish artists and performers with disabilities, with projects taking place in 2014 and 2015 in Cork, Galway and Mayo. These commissions each represent an investment of up to €60,000. The initiative concluded with a tour of one of the resulting works, Silent Moves to all three counties in 2015.
Ignite is managed by a unique partnership involving the Arts Council, Arts & Disability Ireland (ADI), Cork City Council, Galway City and County Councils, and Mayo County Council.
Cork Ignite is also supported by:
• Teesside University: School of Computing
• Cork Arts and Health Programme, HSE South
• Cork Education and Training Board
• XL Video
• The River Lee Hotel: the official accommodation and hospitality sponsor for Cork Ignite
• UCC98.3FM: University College Cork’s official student radio station
• CIT Cork School of Music
• The Theatre Development Centre, Cork: towards residency support.
• Focus Surveys for production support.
Cork Ignite welcomes audiences with disabilities. Access information and further event information will be available on www.corkignite.com
Read a critical reflection of Cork Ignite by Sheelagh Broderick commissioned by Create for Create News Special Edition. Click here
A still from Cork Ignite 3-D projection onto the facade of College of Commerce Cork
Participants from Cork Ignite celebrate during Cork Ignite at Culture Night Cork. Over 7000 people attended the event
Watch: Cork Ignite for Culture Night 2015
A still from Cork Ignite by renowned international artist, Simon Mckeown
Watch: Ignite: 3 Commissions
Click here to watch this video with audio description
A still from Cork Ignite at Cork Culture Night 2014
Artist Biography
Trained in Fine Art and a Lecturer in Computer Animation and Post Production at Teesside University, Simon Mckeown has an affinity for motion capture and its ability to perfectly catalogue the movements, idiosyncrasies and beauty of a person, regardless of body shape and size.
“People are often embarrassed to look at people with disabilities. (My work gives) an opportunity to look, see and be fascinated by beautiful motions and bodies and break that taboo,” he says.
He was awarded his own London 2012 Summer Olympics commission and took part in two other Cultural Olympiad/London 2012 Festival projects, widely recognised as a watershed moment for contemporary disability art. His original piece of work, Motion Disabled, went global in a single day when it was projected on to buildings in 17 countries all over the world in a project coordinated by VSA. See here
Simon was named DaDaFest International Artist of the Year 2010. He has exhibited at the Smithsonian International Gallery, DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague, and the Deutsche Hygiene Museum in Dresden and elsewhere in Australia, South Korea, USA and all over the UK.
For further information see: www.simon-mckeown.com
The National Sculpture Factory (NSF) is an organisation which provides and promotes a supportive and enabling environment for the making of art and the realisation of creative projects. They actively support artists and their practice through residencies, lecture programmes, cultural exchanges, masterclasses and professional development workshops.
“Ignite is an extraordinary new initiative for the creation of new work. It provides the NSF with an opportunity to expand its experience and engage with new makers and audiences. The NSF is excited and challenged by the opportunities that this brings”
– Mary McCarthy, Director National Sculpture Factory
www.nationalsculpturefactory.com
Create is the national development agency for collaborative arts in social and community contexts.
Create’s mission is to provide advice and support services to artists and arts organisations working collaboratively with communities in social and community contexts.
Create supports artists across all artforms who work collaboratively with communities in different social and community contexts, be they communities of place or communities brought together by interest.
“Create champions the work of artists in collaboration with community and social contexts. This work is contemporary, cutting edge and is directly reflecting the politics of our times and broadening meaningful participation in the arts. Ignite is an extraordinary initiative that we are delighted to be a part of, it provides the opportunity to continue to expands the idea of who gets to make art and where it gets made”
– Patrick Fox, Former Director, Create
SoundOUT was established in 2011 by Dr Gráinne McHale to provide inclusive music making and learning opportunities in Ireland. Specialising in the use of assistive music technology for creative music making, SoundOUT delivers inclusive music projects throughout Cork City and County. In partnership with Music Generation Cork City, SoundOUT also facilitates inclusive music programmes in schools and local communities in Cork City.
COPE Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which supports over 2,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or autism, so that people of every ability can live life to the full. Through a network of community based support in 65 different locations in Cork City and County, people can access local education, training, leisure, sports and the arts, the full range of specialised health and world class interdisciplinary and residential care and other supports including housing. Guided and responsive to people who we support as well as their parents, families and supporters, COPE Foundation works to create the life enhancing opportunities and environments that people need, now and into the future.
“COPE Foundation is pleased to be working with National Sculpture Factory, Create and Simon Mckeown in an innovative, community based arts project, in partnership with people with disabilities”
– Colette Kelleher, COPE Foundation
http://www.cope-foundation.ie