Looking for the Light Within is an art project which started in August 2022 with an initial conversation with Eleanor O’Driscoll, to pay a homage to her dear brother Oliver. The idea of the project was to look at the dark months of the year and challenging times one experiences in one’s life. It related as well to the separation and fragmentation of human contact during the Covid-19 pandemic. The project focused on three geographical areas: Cape Clear, Sherkin Island and the coast of West Cork. The idea was to initiate creativity and develop artistic articulation with members of multiple communities.

As a result, Teanga Agus Tírdhreach (Language and Landscape) was created by members of the Cape Clear island community. In February and March this year, the islanders participated in workshops and created work that depicts ways of perceiving life on the island, and how language influences our perception and how we construct the surrounding reality. This process was in parallel to work with a group based at 49 North Street, Skibbereen which had been initiated in early November 2022. This group experimented with multiple ways of artistic articulation, developing a meditative, intuitive, improvised movement as a choreography for a free-flowing performance. Eventually a core group went to Sherkin Island to engage the choreography in the open space of an island environment.

Both groups and artistic processes meet in Looking for the Light Within at Uillinn: West Cork Art Centre which celebrates the conversation that can be created through art. By bringing the communities and our creativity together, a new space is created, a space of inclusion, dialogue, unity, trust and equality.

Many thanks to all who have supported the process and development of the project, to the participants for their creativity, commitment, presence and dedication to the creative process. Thanks to all who financially supported the research and development of the project: Eleanor O’Driscoll and her brother Oliver for initiating the process, funding and supporting accommodation and connection with the community of Cape Clear; Create, for their funding and supportive communication; Creative Places West Cork Islands for funds to produce the exhibition, supportive guidance, translation of texts to Irish and ongoing communication; Uillinn: West Cork Art Centre for their generous support, for a space on the mainland to share the artistic processes with the public, to welcome the community and to initiate a meeting point between communities; and to 49 North Street, for their ongoing support, use of their space, resources, kindness and spirit of inclusion.

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Is tionscadal ealaíne é Looking for the Light Within a thosaigh i mí Lúnasa 2022 le comhrá tosaigh le Eleanor O’Driscoll, chun ómós a thabhairt dá deartháir dil Oliver. Ba é an smaoineamh a bhí ag an tionscadal ná breathnú ar mhíonna dorcha na bliana agus na tréimhsí deacra a bhíonn ag daoine ina saolta. Bhain sé freisin le scaradh agus deighilt teagmháil dhaonna i rith phaindéim Covid-19. Dhírigh an tionscadal ar thrí limistéar gheografacha: Cléire, Inis Arcáin agus cósta Iarthar Chorcaí. Ba é an smaoineamh ná cruthaitheacht a thionscnamh agus cur in iúl ealaíonta a fhorbairt le baill de phobail iolracha.

Mar thoradh air sin, chruthaigh baill de phobal Oileáin Chléire Teanga Agus Tírdhreach. I mí Feabhra agus i mí an Mhárta i mbliana, ghlac na hoileánaigh páirt i gceardlanna agus chruthaigh siad saothar a léiríonn bealaí chun an saol ar an oileán a bhrath, agus an tionchar a bhíonn ag teanga ar ár dtuiscint agus ar an gcaoi a dtógaimid an réaltacht timpeall. Bhí an próiseas seo comhthreomhar le hobair le grúpa atá lonnaithe ag 49 An tSráid Thuaidh, An Sciobairín a tionscnaíodh go luath i mí na Samhna 2022. Thriail an grúpa seo bealaí éagsúla maidir le cur in iúl ealaíonta, ag forbairt gluaiseacht mhachnamhach, iomasach, seiftithe mar chóiréagrafaíocht le haghaidh taibhiú saorshreafa. Faoi dheireadh chuaigh croíghrúpa go hInis Arcáin le haghaidh a thabhairt ar an gcóiréagrafaíocht i spás oscailte de thimpeallacht oileáin.

Tagann an dá ghrúpa agus na próisis ealaíne le chéile in Looking for the Light Within ag Uillinn: Ionad Ealaíne Iarthar Chorcaí a cheiliúrann an comhrá is féidir a chruthú trí ealaín. Trí na pobail agus ár gcruthaitheacht a thabhairt le chéile, cruthaítear spás nua, spás ionchuimsithe, idirphlé, aontacht, muinín agus comhionannas.

Míle buíochas le gach duine a thacaigh le próiseas agus forbairt an tionscadail, leis na rannpháirtithe as a gcruthaitheacht, a dtiomantas, a láithreacht agus a ndílseacht don phróiseas cruthaitheach. Buíochas le gach duine a thacaigh ó thaobh airgeadais de le taighde agus forbairt an tionscadail: Eleanor O’Driscoll agus a deartháir Oliver as an bpróiseas a thionscnamh, as maoiniú agus as tacaíocht a thabhairt don tsocracht agus as ceangal le pobal Chléire; Create, as a mhaoiniú agus as a gcumarsáid thacúil; Áiteanna Cruthaitheacha Oileáin Iarthar Chorcaí as maoiniú chun an taispeántas, treoir thacúil, aistriú téacsanna go Gaeilge agus cumarsáid leanúnach a chur ar fáil; Uillinn: Ionad Ealaíne Iarthar Chorcaí as a dtacaíocht fhlaithiúil, as spás ar an mórthír chun na próisis ealaíonta a chomhroinnt leis an bpobal, fáilte a chur roimh an bpobal agus pointe cruinnithe a thionscnamh idir pobail; agus le 49 An tSráid Thuaidh, as a dtacaíocht leanúnach, úsáid a spáis, acmhainní, cineáltas agus spiorad an ionchuimsithe.

Tomasz Madajczak, Bealtaine 2023