Sadhbh O'Neill: Art can communicate messages about our dying planet that are otherwise hard to hear
On October 14th, 2022, Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland of
Just Stop Oil
threw two tins of soup at an 1888 Sunflowers painting by
Vincent van Gogh
at the National Gallery in London, glued themselves to the wall and asked the crowd whether art was worth more than life. In the uproar that followed, which eventually led to their conviction and jailing for criminal damage and trespass, no one has seriously attempted to answer their question.
Is art really worth more than life? To compare human life with a painting is ridiculous. And yet, the painting – which is behind glass and was not damaged in the protest – is worth an estimated €90 million. Plummer and Holland were also drawing attention to the fact that we don't even notice what is important about either life or art.
[
Sadhbh O'Neill: Legal threats see some climate activists turn to clandestine sabotage activities
Opens in new window
]
The symbolism of their protest highlighted something important about the way that art is taken for granted and seen as a stable backdrop to civilisation; our confidence that the Sunflowers will always be hanging on a gallery wall somewhere, and that our descendants will be able queue up patiently to see it and then, having consumed their quota of highbrow culture, move on to the next thing. A civilisation without art is unimaginable: it goes where we go, and adorns caves, museums, ordinary homes and palaces. It is worn, sung, woven, painted, recited and danced wherever humans have ever been. As humanity's oldest companion, art probably knows us better than we know ourselves.
But we are
ignoring a catastrophe
that threatens both. In this context, could a generous splattering of tomato soup be seen as a small inconvenience to make us sit up and pay attention?
READ MORE
Art in all its forms has been central to our emerging awareness of our relationship with this beautiful, broken world and its many and diverse inhabitants.
Artists use imagery, sound, installations, rubbish,
conversation
(like Sharing the Oyster, an intergenerational dialogue between experienced oyster fishermen and school-aged children from the Clarinbridge area) and even
smells
(see
Distillation, Luke Casserly's journey into the Irish bog landscape through scent
) to evoke a sense of connectedness, kinship and nostalgia for a dying world. If you were to read nothing about ecological devastation, and only experienced artistic renderings of this reality, you would probably get all the education you need to understand what is happening, what it might mean for us, and how we might respond. As the writer
Kerri ní Dochartaigh
put it at a DCU
climate change
conference last month, art allows us to speak truth in a world of falsity.
Having said that, art does not need to make anything happen for it to be worthwhile. While many artists have experimented with imagery of
sea-level rise
(including Línte na Farraige, a visual light installation by Finnish artists Timo Aho and Pekka Niittyvirta) or created
Postcards from the Future
(such as the 2010 exhibit at the Museum of London) to convey the urgency of climate change, art that is purely propagandistic or didactic tends to have limited traction with either the public or art critics.
Even in a climate-changing world, art is still a search for the sublime. Photographer
Edward Burtynsky
's series Oil is a meditation on industrial and devastated landscapes that is awe-inspiring and oddly beautiful. Artist
Deirdre O'Mahony
, in a
newly commissioned film
to accompany her series Between A Rock And A Hard Place in the Carlow Visual centre for contemporary art, discusses how in her early years as an artist, students were 'taught' to paint. Later on, they were encouraged to find a subject, or told there was no subject, after all. It took her decades of practice and inquiry to find a subject, only to discover it was what was all around her. She has since produced artworks inspired by the Burren landscape that encourage people to see its eclectic and fossilised features in new ways that somehow remind us of our own humanity, vulnerability and interconnectedness with all living things.
In
The Model Plot
, O'Mahony is collaborating with Imma, the Loy Association and horticulture students in a sculptural planting experiment to highlight how the potato ridge can be viewed as a source of heritage, food security and collective knowledge.
Art can communicate messages that are hard to hear, or that we don't want to hear. Ireland's basic income scheme for artists is the very least that the Government should be funding to support creative practice that deepens our collective understanding of our world. If you are not convinced of art's ability to capture our human vulnerability with indignation at a time when human rights are being violated without consequences, go see the exhibition of renowned Irish artist
Brian Maguire that is in the Hugh Lane
until May 18th. Art is not more important than life, but if we paid it more attention, it might save lives.
Brian Maguire's exhibition,
La grande illusion
, runs until
May 18th at the Hugh Lane Gallery of Modern Art, Parnell Square, Dublin
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
You have eyes of a hawk if you can find the hidden beach ball on this busy summer scene in less than three seconds
WITH the sun desperately trying to make an appearance, what better time for a warm weather brainteaser? As summer fast approaches, the experts at UK-based online printing company Advertisement 2 Here, we have a fun brainteaser - but there's only three seconds to find the hidden beach ball Credit: Instantprint So are you up for the challenge? According to the pros, everyone can spot the umbrellas and windbreakers on this beach, but can you find the hidden beach ball in this sunny seaside illusion? You've got just three seconds to spot it - yes, you heard that correctly - so time is of the essence. Your eyes are sure to be in for a challenge as you scan the sandy scene packed with beach towels, Advertisement Read more on brainteasers But you'll need to really focus if you want to spot the beach ball in time. And it's so well hidden, will you give up minutes after the time runs out? The experts acknowledge that this puzzle is no walk on the beach and even the So take a deep breath, dive in, and see if you can find the hidden beach ball before the time is up. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous It's a true Nail it, and you've got seriously impressive observation skills. You have eyes of a hawk if you can find the missing bunny in this colourful Easter-themed brainteaser in 30 seconds If you get stuck, luckily for you, we've got a simple clue. You'll find the beach ball around the middle of the picture, nearer to the left hand side of the image. Advertisement So you'll need to search for a tiny splash of rainbow colour in the crowd to find it. Are you eager to see if you've got Set yourself a timer and try not to get too distracted by the bright colours and beach-goers. How can optical illusions and brainteasers help me? Engaging in activities like solving optical illusions and brainteasers can have many cognitive benefits as it can stimulate various brain regions. Some benefits include: Cognitive stimulation : Engaging in these activities challenges the brain, promoting mental agility and flexibility. Problem-solving skills : Regular practice enhances analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Memory improvement: These challenges often require memory recall and can contribute to better memory function. Creativity: They encourage thinking outside the box, fostering creativity and innovative thought processes. Focus and attention: Working on optical illusions and brainteasers requires concentration, contributing to improved focus. Stress relief: The enjoyable nature of these puzzles can act as a form of relaxation and stress relief. Brainteasers are excellent for your noggin because they stimulate cognitive function, improve problem-solving skills and enhance overall mental agility. Advertisement They also challenge different areas of the brain, including memory, logic and spatial reasoning. So what's the benefit exactly? Improved neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to adapt and form new neural connections. As well as this, activities like brainteasers, puzzles and riddles require you to think critically, which also sharpens your analytical and reasoning skills. Some studies even suggest that challenging your brain with teasers may help delay age-related cognitive decline. Advertisement And research has found that such mental exercises can lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's by keeping your brain active. So have you found the hidden beach ball in this image? Are you still struggling to find it? Scroll down for the answer below… Advertisement Regularly solving brainteasers will help keep your mind sharp, enhance your ability to tackle complex tasks and provide a satisfying mental workout - click here for more. Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club 2 You have eyes of a hawk if you can find the hidden beach ball on this busy summer scene in less than three seconds, SUPPLIED Credit: Instantprint
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
Creative escapes: ‘A studio isn't a luxury – it's a necessity'
Settings don't get much more scenic than watercolour artist Edel Treacy's studio in Inistioge, Co Kilkenny. Dating back more than 300 years, the small stone outbuilding is located on a dairy farm, which has been in her husband Luke's family for generations. 'It's looking particularly beautiful this morning,' says Treacy, who has dropped her three sons (aged nine, seven and five) at school, made a coffee and taken 'about five steps to the art shed', from her house to work on a commission. 'There's inspiration everywhere around here. Beside my studio there's a lane full of hedges, greenery, bluebells, primroses, bees and birdsong.' Inside the single-storey building, there's a vaulted ceiling, small traditional windows, plus new roof windows installed by a neighbour. The walls are made from exposed stone, native to the area, and the concrete floor allows for paint spillages. READ MORE Artist Edel Treacy at her home studio in Coolraney, Inistioge, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Photo: Bryan O'Brien / The Irish Times 'It's not the brightest space, but there's a softness to the light and it gets a lot of sun,' says Treacy. 'When my dad saw it, he said, 'You can mess away in there to your heart's content Edel.'' Working from home is nothing new for many artists, who were operating from kitchen tables, spare bedrooms and draughty garages long before lockdown. A rented studio space seems increasingly out of reach for a lot of Irish creatives, with the housing crisis, rising costs and the closure of a number of shared workspaces in recent years. But despite the challenges, carving out space to make art is as vital as ever; whether it's in a 'room of one's own', to borrow Virginia Woolf 's phrase, or just a quiet corner. Work of artist Edel Treacy at her home studio in Inistioge, Co. Kilkenny. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien/The Irish Times In winter, Treacy prefers to work in the warmth of her house. But she enjoys the separation between the two buildings. 'I can walk out the front door, leave housework or laundry behind, and just get engrossed'. Rural life has also aided her creative practice. 'The farmer shows up every day to the farm, no matter what's going on, so I show up every day to my art,' she says. 'Even if it's for five or 10 minutes, that discipline has made me better.' There are some drawbacks to living in a rural idyll. 'I'm incredibly lucky, but sometimes you miss the city as an artist – the people, cafes, galleries and art shops,' Treacy admits. From the sounds of things though, the art shed can be fairly bustling. Treacy shares it with her husband if he's working remotely, and her sons pop in to paint or draw at a little picnic table beside her. Edel Treacy's home studio in Coolraney, Inistioge, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. Photo: Bryan O'Brien / The Irish Times 'The boys sometimes knock something over and run off, but they usually leave me to it. Once or twice, they've signed a piece with their own name and I have to start again. But they're actually very inspiring,' says the remarkably patient Treacy, who also job-shares as a primary schoolteacher. 'They enhance my creativity because they're so playful.' Spare bedroom studio Georgina O'Hanlon's illustration, which she produces in a room in her Dublin home. At first glance, illustrator Georgina O'Hanlon's studio is very different from Treacy's rustic outbuilding. A converted spare bedroom in the artist's semidetached house in Whitehall, Dublin 9, its view isn't of flower-filled lanes, or rolling valleys, but other homes in a quiet cul-de-sac. North Dublin might seem like a less romantic location than Inistioge, but O'Hanlon has created a light-filled, joyful workspace, adorned with her nature and folklore-inspired designs. She hand-draws at a desk by the window, scans the illustrations into her computer, and sends them to be printed or woven in Europe. Seamstresses in Stoneybatter then turn the colourful fabric into Italian silk kaftans, cushions, hair accessories and blankets. Georgina O'Hanlon O'Hanlon's latest collection, Fairytales on Silk, recalls magical childhood summers with her grandmother in Co Clare. But she insists she has plenty of access to nature in her urban location, wandering through the park or nearby Botanic Gardens when she needs 'brain candy'. 'I'm close enough to the energy of town when I need it, but day to day, I get to enjoy the slower pace of local life,' says the artist, who purchased the house last year with her husband. The couple are expecting their first child in July. Cushions based on Georgina O'Hanlon's illustrations O'Hanlon does miss meeting fellow creatives in shared studios, and with no commute, 'there's no clear line between where your day begins and ends'. The National College of Art and Design graduate previously worked in shared spaces such as Moxie Studios, which closed in 2014. She then rented a studio space in the city, which proved expensive. She's fully aware of how fortunate she is as an artist to have this workspace – 'a haven' – and her own home in the capital. 'Compared to artists in regional areas, the pressure in Dublin is particularly acute. The cost of living, the scarcity of space, and the absence of long-term support mean that many have simply had to leave the field,' O'Hanlon says. 'A studio isn't a luxury – it's a necessity. It's a space to spread ideas out, to see them fully, to build on them. Yet the infrastructure just isn't there. The whole situation feels deeply disheartening. Artists are expected to leap without a safety net, and for many, that leap is simply too far.' Garden room art Lorraine Coll's garden studio For the Derry-based contemporary abstract artist Lorraine Coll, the challenges of working from home can be seen in her livingroom – but only if you look very closely. 'I've scrubbed the walls, the blinds – and don't lift the rug!' laughs Coll, whose beautiful, striking paintings can take a month to create and employ a range of techniques – such as burning paint with a hot gun to add texture. A graduate of Manchester School of Art, Coll worked as an artist in Manchester 'from the kitchen table in our flat'. She returned to her hometown in 2013 and got a job with the local library service. After taking a career break due to baby loss, Coll took up painting again. Returning to her passion proved therapeutic, and demand for Coll's pieces began to increase. Working from home made sense from a cost perspective, but as an artist who loves to 'work big', and with prospective customers wanting to view the paintings, the small, dark livingroom wasn't fit for purpose. In 2022, garden rooms were enjoying a surge in popularity post-lockdown. Coll decided to invest, enlisting a local company to build the stand-alone structure in her back garden. Hedges were cleared, Coll's son gave up his trampoline (happily – 'football was taking over anyway') to make space, and her husband installed the electrics, plastering and flooring to save money. Lorraine Coll works in her garden studio The 3.8m x 3.2m space has large double doors to let in plenty of light, low-maintenance vinyl flooring, and paint-splattered walls which currently display two large canvases with moody burgundy hues, florescent pinks and oranges. 'They're at the 'ugly stage' where I'm building up vibrant colours underneath,' Coll says. 'I'll layer them up and they'll look totally different at the end.' The traditional model of selling at art fairs, or to galleries, is changing. Most of Coll's sales now come via social media and her website. She has recouped her spend on the garden room, and it's also added value to her home. 'I've sent pieces to Australia, America, and connected with people all over the world,' Coll says. 'It's lovely to be able to do that from my back garden in Derry.' ; ;
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Irish Times
TV guide: Love Island, Not Going Out and the other best things to watch this week
Pick of the Week From that Small Island – the Story of the Irish Sunday, RTÉ One, 6.30pm For such a small island , we've got world-class levels of modesty. I mean, you never hear us boasting about the disproportionate number of bestselling authors, Oscar -nominated actors or stadium-filling pop stars we produce, or how many times we've won Eurovision . So let's give ourselves a big pat on the back for not having big heads like a Macnas parade. This four-part series, written and produced by Bríona Nic Dhiarmada, asks who are these mysterious, super-talented and not-at-all vainglorious people from that tiny island on the western end of Europe, where did they come from, and how did they go from a population of six million to a global community of 80 million who claim to be Irish? Mary McAleese in episode one of From that Small Island – the Story of the Irish It also asks deeper questions about what it means to be Irish today, and how has our history and geography shaped our endearingly self-effacing personalities and fuelled our huge impact on the world at large. Colin Farrell is our narrator and guide on this magical history tour – did we mention he was nominated for an Oscar? Highlights The Gold Sunday, BBC One, 9pm The Gold: Hugh Bonneville as DCS Brian Boyce. Photograph: BBC/Tannadice Pictures In November 1983, armed robbers broke into a warehouse near Heathrow airport and made off with £26 million in gold bullion, along with a stash of diamonds and a good few bob in cash. The Brink's-Mat robbery became the biggest and most notorious robbery in the UK, putting the Great Train Robbery in the ha'penny place. The first series of The Gold dramatised the story of this daring heist and its aftermath, and followed the efforts of DCS Brian Boyce (Hugh Bonneville) and his taskforce to track the gang down before they can launder their haul. It ended with some of the gang members, including Kenneth Noye (Jack Lowden), getting banged up good and proper, but we're not done and dusted yet. READ MORE Turns out that only half the gold has been accounted for, and in this second series, Boyce and his team will have to use all their policing nous to uncover what happened to the rest of the gold, somehow get it back, and track down the rest of the gang and bring them in front of the Old Bill. Charlotte Spencer, Emun Elliott, Stepfanie Martini and Peter Davison are among the returning cast, with new additions including Tom Hughes, Stephen Campbell Moore, Joshua MGuire and Tamsin Topolski. An Ghig Mhór Monday, RTÉ One, 8pm An Gig Mhór: John Spillane, who mentors Kilkenny band The Donnys in episode one. Photograph: Clare Keogh In every town in Ireland, there's a potential U2, Cranberries or Hozier hoping to break out of the bedroom or garage and step into the big time. All they need is someone to help them get a gig so they can showcase their talent to the masses. In this new series, well-known Irish musical artists are recruited as mentors to young, up-and-coming acts. Their job is to help them organise a live gig in their hometown so they can take those vital first steps to international fame. Each young act has their own individual sound, but all have one thing in common: they perform both in English and as Gaeilge. These bilingual, multitalented youngsters include singer-songwriter Hannah B from Gaoth Dobhar, Na hEasógaí from Conamara, and punk rockers Hex from Leixlip. First up are Kilkenny band The Donnys, who may be millennials, but are in thrall to classic 60s and 70s rock. Singer-songwriter John Spillane is drafted in to guide them through the process of putting on a live show. Other mentors through the series include Kila's Rónán Ó Snodaigh, hip-hop duo Tebi Rex and singer-songwriter Síomha. Shardlake Monday, UTV, 9pm Shardlake: Sean Bean as Oliver Cromwell. Photograph: Disney If you subscribe to Disney+, you may have already watched this four-part murder mystery based on the historical whodunits by CJ Sansom. Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) is a lawyer in 16th-century England tasked with solving a brutal murder in a monastery (I'd say most murders in those days were pretty brutal). His boss is none other than Oliver Cromwell (Sean Bean), whose own boss is King Henry VIII, the Tudor Trump on a crusade to force the Catholic Church to submit to his sweeping reforms. In the tradition of telly detectives, Shardlake needs an assistant, and cocky youngster Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle) is sent along on the investigation – although he could well be a spy sent by Cromwell. Despite the huge fan base out there for Sansom's novels, and the positive reviews for the series (cliched but fun seems to be the verdict), Disney is not renewing the series, but maybe ITV are testing the terrestrial TV waters to see if it's worth making a second one. Love Island Monday, ITV2, 9pm The evenings are getting longer, the kids are starting their school holidays, and there's nothing on the telly. Except Love Island, of course. It's time to spend another hot, steamy summer in the Love Island villa, and this year ITV has searched high and low to find another bunch of good-looking, vain, pouting, pec-flexing young things who are happy to parade around on telly in their swimwear and undies and wear the face off their housemates (I know – it's a big ask). This will blow your tiny little mind: Love Island is officially 10 years old this year, and the new series promises to raise the stakes to mark the decade anniversary. Maya Jama is back to present the show, sort of like the David Attenborough of dating shows, and among the rumoured Love Islanders is 'jaw-droppingly gorgeous' Manchester model Shakira Khan. Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football Monday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football. Photograph: RTÉ For such a small nation, we've got a big grá for the Gaelic football, and sure why wouldn't we? It's woven into the fabric of our lives, and plays a huge role in our sporting, cultural and social history. This five-part series promises to be the definitive history of Gaelic football, filmed in cinematic 4K, and featuring more than 80 interviews with sporting legends, players, managers, commentators and historians, including the last-ever TV interviews with legendary commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh, Kerry's Seán Murphy and Mick O'Dwyer, Dublin's Jimmy Gray and Mayo's John O'Mahony. The series will trace the origins of Gaelic football, how it grew out of the struggle for independence to become an indigenous alternative to foreign games, a sport that Irish people could rally round and identify with as their very own. It tracks the growth of the game over the past 100 years, as it became integral to every town and village, and took a foothold in Northern Ireland, making it an island-wide sport. The series, filmed by Crossing the Line Productions in partnership with Coimisiún na Meán, has been five years in the making, and among the contributors are – deep breath – Michael Murphy, David Clifford, Jack McCaffery, Juliet Murphy, Shane Walsh, Brian Fenton, Mick O'Connell, Cora Staunton and Joe Brolly, along with input from managers Jim McGuinness, Padraic Joyce, Seán Boylan and Kevin McStay. Uncharted with Ray Goggins Wednesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm Ex-special forces soldier Ray Goggins has taken several celebs to the edge of their endurance, dragging them up mountains, down valleys and along glaciers in some of the most extreme environments on earth. Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, singer Lyra, hip-hop trio Kneecap, Paralympic gold medallist Ellen Keane and camogie star Ashling Thompson have already survived their outdoor challenges, and in this final episode, champion Galway hurler Joe Canning and track and field star Thomas Barr will head deep into the jungles of Colombia, where they'll take a perilous river journey, navigating lethal, class-five rapids and dodging deadly snakes and venomous spiders along the way. Not Going Out Friday, BBC One, 9pm Not Going Out: Sally Bretton and Lee Mack. Photograph: BBC/Avalon/Mark Johnson The long-running sitcom starring Lee Mack will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next year with a new batch of episodes – not bad for a show about a guy who is completely unmotivated and generally reluctant to leave the house. Meanwhile, series 14 brings us a Dr Who-ish time jump, as we fast-forward a few years and Lee and Lucy (Sally Bretton) find themselves in an empty nest and with all the time in the world to get to know each other again (good luck with that). The couple decide to move house, and are viewing their dream home when Lee puts the deal in jeopardy by asking the vendor if he can use the loo. Streaming Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy From Tuesday, June 10th, Netflix Astroworld was the popular annual festival run by rapper Travis Scott to celebrate the vibrant hip-hop scene in his hometown of Houston, Texas, and give something back to the fans who supported him on his rise to superstardom. But during the third Astroworld festival, in Houston's NRG Park on November 5th, 2021, the celebration turned to tragedy when the stoked-up crowd surged forward as Scott came on stage, with the ensuing crush resulting in the deaths of 10 fans. This documentary, the first in a new anthology series of the Trainwreck strand, explores how the festival descended into chaos as organisers lost control of the enthusiastic crowd, and tells the story of the unfolding catastrophe from the perspective of survivors and other witnesses. Although no blame is attributed, a picture soon emerges of an entirely preventable tragedy. Fubar From Thursday, June 12th, Netflix Fubar: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro. Photograph: Netflix When it was announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be returning for a second series of this comedy spy show, the 'I'll be back' quips came thick and fast. In his first foray into TV territory, Arnie plays CIA agent Luke Brunner, who has had to defer his retirement for one last espionage job. Now it looks as if the gold-watch ceremony will have to wait a bit longer, as in series two he faces a deadly foe in the form of an old flame, the German spy Greta Nelso, played with suitably over-the-top gusto by Carrie-Anne Moss. In series one Luke was pulled back out of retirement to rescue a fellow CIA operative – who turned out to be his daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro). The cast members have all talked about how much fun they had making this series – let's hope it's just as much fun for us to watch.
