Project Arts Centre Open Day 2022

Community

On August 27th we threw open our doors and welcomed over 750 people into the building for our first annual Open Day, a free day-long event for artists, audiences and communities to get a real taste of what we do at Project!  

With an exciting line-up of live performances, delicious bites, dance, DJs, spoken word, workshops, films, talks, tours and more, we’d like to thank everyone who came along and made it such a fantastic day!  

About our Annual Open Day

We have made a commitment to ‘hospitality’ as a philosophical starting point for the changes we want to make at Project. We want to make sure that the big blue building continues to grow as an important space for engaging new audiences and public curiosity.  

In line with our recently launched policy, ‘Towards Equality, Diversity & Inclusion,’ we want to build relationships with a greater diversity of people from right across Dublin City. Our Annual Open Day is a free event for local artists, audiences and communities to engage with a wide programme of current contemporary work, as well as gain access to the inner workings of our building and staff. 

Artists Included : Veronica Dyas, Tobi Omoteso, Philip Connaughton, Monjola, Aby Coulibaly, Adam Mohamed, Róisín Power Hackett, Tobi Balogun, Simone O’Toole, Emilie Conway, Alex Vostokova, Louis Haugh, Catherine Joyce, Michael Collins, Mary Kervick and more!  

Hospitality |  Luncheonette  

Luncheonette is a long-term art project centred around hospitality and food, started by Jennie Moran in 2013. It is a prolonged exploration into the complex alchemy of placemaking, centred around the provision of shared experiences using nourishment, shelter, comfort, warmth, light, and tone to treat places, so that they feel easier for people to be in and more poetic.

For the Open Day, Luncheonette treated us to a selection of delicious bites, inspired by our Open Day artists!

The landscape image shows three wooden platters, made out of tree trunks, sitting on a table. Each one holds approximately 10 little cakes. Each cake has a beige coloured biscuit underneath and on top, of a darker chocolate coloured centre. There are two hands to the right of the image arranging the cakes. The hands are wearing white plastic gloves.
 The landscape image shows food preparation from overhead. There is a wooden table seen from above. To the right of the image we see a woman with long brown hair in a ponytail. She is wearing a patterned shirt. She is wearing plastic gloves as she sprinkles ingredients onto a plate of food. In front of the dish she is preparing, there are bottles and containers of sauces and toppings. To the left of the image there is a middle aged woman with short brown hair, pink earrings and a green top. She is standing with her arms crossed. She is observing the food preparation. In the lower left hand side of the image we can see the leaves of a plant. 

DJ | Queen Beatz 

Queen Beatz provided a fun selection of classic and current upbeat tunes!!

The landscape image shows DJ Queen Beatz behind a set of turntables. She is looking down at the equipment. She has dark shoulder length hair and is wearing sunglasses. She is wearing a bright pink sleeveless top. There is a big window behind her. The handrail of the staircase cuts across the bottom left corner of the image. 

Opening the Day 

Tobi Balogun kicked off the day with a performance of Juxta outside the Big Blue Building.  

JUXTA by Choreographer Tobi Balogun is a high-energy dance-theatre performance rooted in hip-hop culture and set to the soundtrack of Kendrick Lamar. The work responds to broader socio-political concepts, exploring the similarities and differences between communities, as well as the personal conflict experienced through intersectional identity. 

Pictured Dancers left to right: Adam O’Reilly, Mia Burke, Tobi Balogun, Sly Sode 

The landscape image shows four dancers dressed in suits performing in front of Project Arts Centre. On the left hand side dancer Adam O’Reily is leaning to his left with his left hand reaching out. Beside him dancer Mia Burke is looking to her right and reaching her right arm behind Adam. Dancer Tobi Balgun is to the right of Mia and is standing with his right arm towards the audience and his left arm back. Dancer Sly Sode is beside him crouched low and looking to the side. His face and body are in profile. On both sides of the image we can see two members of the audience looking towards the dancers. We can only see the back of their heads.
 The landscape image shows a large audience gathered outside the Project watching Tobi Balogun and dancers perform. The top of the image shows the blue exterior of the building and the pink poster boxes. In the bottom half of the image, we see the back of the audience. They are standing on the cobbled street. 

Special Guests

We were delighted to have special guest Deputy Lord Mayor Darcy Lonergan open the day!  

The portrait image shows deputy Lord Mayor Darcy Lonergan. She is standing on the staircase with a microphone stand in front of her. She has brown hair tied up with a pink headband on. She is wearing a black dress and a long beige coat. She is also wearing the Lord Mayor’s chain. She is looking towards her left hand which holds an ipad. She is raising her right fist in the air and is smiling.

Veronica Dyas

Veronica Dyas performed her work ‘We will Examine’, commissioned alongside our TEDI policy. See full work here. 

Project have invited a number of artists and social activists, with a lived experience of intersectional discrimination and disadvantage, to produce a series of ambitious and provocative new works, encouraging crucial dialogue around the impact of social and economic inequality. 

The landscape image shows artist Veronica Dyas performing her essay/poem ‘We will Examine’. She is standing on a staircase. Veronica has shoulder length dark blond hair and glasses placed on her head. She has a serious expression on her face and is looking toward an open folder in her left hand. She is wearing a white dress. There is a microphone standing in front of her.

Workshops

Workshops were delivered by artists Veronica Dyas (Theatre) and Tobi Omoteso (Dance).  

Veronica Dyas’s workshop focused on the themes and motifs within her essay to create an introductory workshop into theatre making, looking at how the personal is political, and how our individual life experiences resonate with what’s happening in our society today. 

Tobi Omoteso facilitated an open-level workshop focussed on a fun, vibrant and engaging fusion of Street Dance Styles such as Breaking & Hip-Hop Freestyle, Floor Work, and Calisthenics. The workshop was attended by people ranging in age from 13 – 65.   

Two people sit on the floor with their legs crossed. They are writing on large sheets of paper. The background and floor are black. They are in a Theatre space. A man with short brown hair and a beard is sitting on the left. He is wearing a light pink shirt, blue jeans and white trainers. A woman with long black curly hair sits on the right. She is wearing a navy sweatshirt and tight black jeans. She is holding a pen and her right hand is resting under her chin.
12 people are dancing in a circle. They are facing towards the centre. They all have their hands in the air at shoulder height. Their hands are in fists. Some of them are balancing on one leg. In the foreground we can see artist Tobi Omoteso. He is dressed in black. To his right there is a woman with black leggings, a black skirt and a red t-shirt. She has long black curly hair. To his left there is a child with long black hair, a black t-shirt, grey tracksuit bottoms and a grey bucket hat. The background of the image is black and dark purple. They are in a theatre space.

Films & Talks

The Cube hosted a number of films and talks throughout the day. Two of our TEDI Commissioned works were presented including US by Catherine Joyce and Tobi Omoteso, as well as Negotiate by Róisín Power Hackett, Emilie Conway and Sighile Hennessy, alongside artists who have created work in collaboration with Fatima Groups United, such as Anima Fatima by Philip Connaughton and Luca Truffarelli and Future Food by Louis Haugh, as part of the Rhizome Project.  

The landscape image shows a seated audience watching a film. The audience is sitting in the dark. In the centre of the image you can see the film screen. On the screen is a close up of a woman's face. She has a serious expression and is looking to her left. She has light purple hair and a purple top. Above the screen we can just about see the lighting rig. Below the screen there are silhouettes of chairs and audience members with their backs to us.
 The landscape image shows community worker Richie Keane and artist Philip Connaughton giving a talk. They are both seated. Richie sits on the left. He is wearing a black and white Hawian shirt. He has short grey hair and a grey beard. He is looking toward Philio to his left. Philip is talking to the audience and has his hands raised in an expressive manner. He is smiling. Philip is wearing a black t-shirt and black trousers. He has short brown hair and a brown beard. In the left bottom corner we see the back of someone's right shoulder. Behind Philip there is a blue light shining upward.
The landscape image shows Róisín Power Hackett and Emilie Conway giving a talk in the Cube. Róisín is sitting on the left and Emilie is on the right. Róisín  is a white woman with messy long blonde hair. She is wearing a coral pink long skirt and a short sleeved patterned t-shirt. Emilie is a woman with a pale complexion and a loose blonde bob. She is wearing a blue dress with flowers. She has her right hand placed on her right shoulder and her left arm in the air with her palm facing the sky. Between them there is a square wooden table with papers and a glass.

Visual Arts 

Visual Arts Curator Sara Greavu welcomed people into the gallery for talks and discussions with artist Mary Kervick, who demonstrated the technical aspects of Batik, as part of the current exhibition Soon (In 45 Years’ Time) / Gan Mhoill (I gCionn 45 Bliain).  

The landscape image shows a demonstration in the gallery. Visual Arts curator Sara Greavu stands in the centre of the image. She is wearing black leggings, a black skirt and a black top. She has black hair tied up in a bun. She is smiling and looking to her right. On the floor there is a large piece of yellow material. Artist Mary Kervick is kneeling down beside it, demonstrating Batik. She is wearing blue jeans and a black top. She has blond shoulder length hair. To the left of the image there are four people observing the artist. They are all smiling.

Live Performances

The Space Upstairs hosted an afternoon of live performance, including an Experimental Dance Battle, hosted by Tobi Omoteso, with dancers Simone O’Toole, Alexandra Vostokova, Dylan Chapman and Jack Flemming, as well as incredible musical performances from Adam Mohamed, Monjola and Aby Coulibaly!

This landscape image shows dancer Dylan Chapman performing in the Space Upstairs. He is standing on a chair in front of a screen. On the screen behind him is an image of a dancer and text that reads ‘Welcome to Project Arts Centre Open Day, Experimental Battle’. Dylan is wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt. He has dreadlocks that are tied up on top of his head. His facial expression is aggressive. He has his right hand in a fist and his right arm extended. His left arm hangs down by his waist. 
The landscape image shows music artist Monjola performing in the Space Upstairs. Behind him is a projected backdrop with his name spelled out in a large scale black font. He is a black man with short black hair. He is wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a light blue bomber jacket. There is a microphone stand in the foreground. He is holding a microphone in his right hand and is smiling up at the audience.
The landscape image shows music artist Aby Coulibaly performing in the Space Upstairs. Behind her is a projected backdrop with his name spelled out in a large scale black font and a green flower in the centre. She is a black woman with short blond hair tied up in a bun. She is wearing a grey t-shirt and is seen in profile. She is holding a microphone in her right hand and is smiling.

Artists

Project Arts Centre Open Day 2022 was kindly supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Dublin City Council and Dublin City Arts Office

Project Arts Centre is proudly supported by The Arts Council and Dublin City Council.


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