30/06/2005

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

FUSED

                   South Dublin County Arts Festival

                          Monday 18 – Saturday 23 July 2005

 
FUSED, South Dublin County Arts Festival, returns to celebrate the work of a stunningly diverse range of artists and performers, from international capitals to our own backyard. The confluence of traditional and cutting-edge cultures stretches from Clondalkin to China and Bahia to Buenos Aires, from remote rural Hungary to Rathfarnham.

In its debut last year, FUSED became the surprise smash hit of Irish summer arts festivals. In 2005, its seven-day, countywide programme of visual arts, dance, literature, music and film is bigger and better, as it explores the cultural and physical landscape within this county, a landscape that is emergent and diverse, urban and rural.

In order to reach the most people in its wide cachement area – and to take advantage of spectacular settings available in South Dublin County – the events are spread out in a range of locations, each with its own unique character. Dancer Emma O’Kane will perform with Riverdance saxophonist Kenneth Edge and guitarist Benjamin Dwyer in the Pearse Museum; Rathfarnham Castle will host a sophisticated evening of European café music, while the 20 new paintings and prints in the annual “Art of the State” exhibition are displayed on the castle walls.

Dublin artist Alan Phelan will take over the Car Park in County Hall, Tallaght, where he will curate and judge a “show and shine” competition for boy-racer modified car owners. A carnival night in Clondalkin features the Irish-African ensemble De Jimbe, and DJ Drea, a Brazilian dancefloor diva from the Bahia melting pot of Afro-Latino culture. And writers Peter Sheridan, Dermot Bolger, Christine Dwyer Hickey and Philip Casey will read from their work at St. Maelruain’s Church.

Ireland’s first African theatre company, Arambe Productions, will present “Wish I Were at Home” an adaptation of an Irish classic.  The Glue Factory, the company born from the success of “Hongongalongalo” in last year’s Dublin Fringe Festival, will present its latest project, “An Event in Tallaght” where the audience is never still, taken from light to shadow, through a space filled with bizarre images and exotic harmonies.

One of the festival’s highlights is sure to be the session with three of Ireland’s foremost trad virtuosi -- John Carty, Alec Finn, John Faulkner – which promises to be so good that the concert will be broadcast at a later date on Grace Notes, RTE Lyric fm, presented by Ellen Cranitch.

FUSED is also going to the people: in the space of six hours, the “Duoling Strings” trad ensemble of Brian Morrissey and Eoin Coughlan will play three gigs at three sites, from Tallaght Hospital to Liffey Valley Shopping Centre to Rathcoole Library. FUSED shines a spotlight on the potential of the county’s libraries, which are hosting culturally themed evenings, workshops and relaxed community get-togethers focused on the arts. Tallaght Library will screen a handful of Ireland’s best new short films, “Eat My Shorts,” including two rarely seen works by acclaimed “East Is East” director Damien O’Donnell.

The festival also features workshops for children and themed evenings in local libraries

*All events free of charge unless indicated otherwise

For further information please contact Caroline Wynne @ Artscope – 087 2368160

email artscope@eircom.net

FUSED is presented by South Dublin County Arts Office and Library Services.

South Dublin County Library Services 01-459 7834  Email: bstenson@sdublincoco.ie