roots and culture

I finally got around to meeting Dennis McNulty for lunch last Thursday. Dennis is pretty well known around Dublin as a result of his pioneering musical work as one half of Decal. This part of his life is now behind him but his former partner in crime, Alan O Boyle, continues to make music and perform under the Decal moniker. Dennis is a top bloke and he shares my love for cheesey 80's pop tunes and even some pretty dire AOR music. He's also continued in his pursuit of all things artistic and a large part of his life is now taken up with designing sound and visual installations, making documentaries and doing some soundtracks. What a dazzling array of talent for one so humble. Anyhow, here's just some of what Dennis is up to over the next while.

framework/ rupture


February 8th - March 8th 2008
Preview: Thursday, February 7th, 6 to 8 pm
Green On Red, 26-28 Lombard Street East Dublin 2.
(T) 01 671 3414
http://www.greenonredgallery.com

In Dennis McNulty's first solo show at Green On Red, entitled framework/rupture, this movement from street to gallery provides the starting point for an exploration of the relationship between constructed space and the experience of time. A number of interventions and works (sound, sculpture, animation and photographic images)overlap, creating a cinematic space haunted by the presence of Sam Stephenson's Central Bank building.

The show will also feature AFTERTHOUGHTS, a day of talks and discussion, which will include a screening of The Big Bank, an industrial film that records the building of the Central Bank on Dame Street, Dublin, from 1972 to 1979. Speakers include François Chastanet, Owen Drumm, Ros Kavanagh, Riklef Rambow and Ellen Rowley. It takes place on Saturday March 1st, 12.00 to 6.00. Admission is free but places must be booked in advance


'Seaview' - Berlin & Dublin

'Seaview' is a documentary film about asylum seekers living in a former Butlin’s holiday camp at Mosney, Ireland. It's showing at the Berlin Film Festival in February. Screening times and more info about the film are here - http://www.stillfilms.org/ The film will also be screened at Green On Red (address above) on Thursday 21st February at 6.30.




'Joy' @ Rotterdam

Dennis also made the soundtrack for a short film by London-based Irish artists Desperate Optimists called 'Joy'. The film has just won the UIP award at the Rotterdam Film Festival. There is some info about it here, but you'll need to be able to speak Dutch!

Launch of the House Projects book.
Project (Dublin),
Friday 8th February,
between 5 and 6.30pm

Homemade was an exhibition curated by David Beattie as part of the House Projects series of exhibitions. The group exhibition took place in his flat on Waterloo Rd. last September. A publication which has been produced about the House Projects series of exhibitions will be launched at Project next week.

http://www.houseprojects.net
http://dennismcnulty.com/apl.html


On a related artistic note, I was out for dinner the other night and on the way home I bumped into Jo Mangan & Tom Swift. They've got a new play for kids on in The Ark over the coming weeks that should be well worth checking out if you've got a few six year olds on your hands. 'Beware Of The Storybook Wolves' was written and illustrated by Lauren Child and has been adapted by Tom. It starts this Tuesday 5th February.