De-Extinction Revival : Extinction, the termination of a particular species, something we expect cannot be reversed. However it seems scientists are already on their way to resurrecting the species we thought we would never see again. Science Gallery Dublin are hosting de-extinction week which will explore this possibility. On Wednesday 11th April 18:30, Andrew Mooney of the Trinity College Zoology department will discuss the pros and cons of this development.Who knows what we may see in the future! Event is free of charge. Register at dublin.sciencegallery.com
RIAM Amplify Research Day : On 12th April The Royal Irish Academy of Music will explore the importance of their artistic research will display the talents of their incredible students. It will include talks, performances and presentations, and will go past the spectrum of music alone showing how music is affected by and incorporated with other subjects. Admission is free. The event will run from 10:00-19:00.
Festival of the Dead: Dublin city will turn into a carnival playground for Festival of the Dead 2018. The festival will surround itself with an abundance of music, circus acts, dance and visual arts. This is the perfect festival to get you into the summer mood . Think pinatas, face painting,mayhem , and a great buzz around the city. This event will take place on Friday 13th April. Tickets TBC.
Trans Live Art Salon; Basic Talks: The Trans Live Art Salon is a group that originated from the Live Collision International Festival. The group is made up of trans and gender non-conforming people in which they can share, learn and create in an open minded environment. Their aim is to create an open dialogue for trans people who feel they are misrepresented in the media. After a year of works and performances, they are taking part in the Hugh Lane Gallery Basic Talks, in which they can look back over the year and discuss their projects with the public. Admission is free but spaces are limited to 50 seats.
Lisa O’Neill with Pat McCabe and and Cass Combs: One of the most beautiful voices in Irish Music Lisa O’Neill is collaborating with celebrated writer Pat McCabe ‘ The Butcher Boy’ ‘Breakfast on Pluto’ and Cass McCombs, songwriter whose subject matter is around folklore. These artists together will make for a magical evening where we celebrate homegrown talent, and where we can realise the beauty of a collaboration with these special artists. This event will take place at the Abbey Theatre, Friday 21st April at 20:00.
Holly Lloyd – Arts & Events Editor
Paula Rego
In the weeks leading up to the referendum, I have started to think of representatives, icons and movements that we have had before this when a country was faced with a similar social,political and often religious debate. A referendum like this has seen no hold on different opinions, with the quietest voices in our own personal lives often taking on a new vibrant persona due to the true magnitude of the impacts of this decision, what it means for the women in this country and ultimately, how we will move on as a country with whatever the outcome is. We must then focus on our significance as citizens and depending on the outcome we must ask what our true value is as a citizen.
What is undeniable is the efforts made by the people to voice their passions and their opinions of each side in formats that mean a lot to them. Isn’t this personal touch one of the best ways to get our story’s across and to be heard, with the hopes of letting people have a front row seat in our minds and our own opinion, even if just for a moment? That glimpse of reality is perhaps one of the most important aspects in our colliding opinions on repealing the 8th amendment. Paula Rego, the portuguese artist born in 1935 is a woman we can certainly direct a nod to during a debate like this. She is an artist who is unapologetic of the realities of women and paints the visceral, submersive scenes that are often experienced by women despite such themes being blocked out by society, which has in the past cleansed certain tainted aspects of our daily lives, often only considered tainted due to the enforcements and rigidities of society and religion in the first place.
Rego’s art is dominated by women and each figure has its own story to tell. All of these women are distinct, nomadic and relatively unfeminine, mostly due to the activities they are taking part in. Rego had come from the regime under Salazaar, a totally authoritarian regime which was particularly oppressive for women. Although Rego was aware of the repressive regime, she escaped the full impact of it having been brought up in a bourgeoisie household and having the opportunity to move to London to Study at the Slade School, a life that was relatively free and contrasting to her life in Portugal. The Slade School offered Rego the opportunity to get an outside look on the regime, but at the same time she found the Slades teachings too ‘grown up’ and restrictive. Her painting moved in the direction of a more pulsating, spontaneous style. Her paintings are personal and reflect real life experiences but she incorporates politics and true issues, her art turning into a sort of micropolitics, and celebrates the almost violent and organic in her art. In Portugal in 1998 the referendum to decriminalize abortion within the first ten weeks of pregnancy was not repealed, mostly due to the very small turnout, less than 50% of voters. Rego’s anger over this encouraged her to create her Abortion Pastels, a series of ten pastels which portray women undergoing illegal abortions. Rego took this ideas from both personal experience and her own surroundings in Portugal. With Rego’s series, we are forced to look at the realities of what women were going through under the legislation,no longer able to turn a blind eye. What these women represent was not guilt or shame on their part, but instead inflicting strong gazes in the direction of shame onto the system.
Rego was able to give her opinion on a mass platform and her series certainly allowed people to truly consider their stance on the subject. Today, people are sharing their stories on media platforms, and are giving us an insight into different circumstances. We are becoming more aware of the individual and not just the rule. These artistic and mass sharings in aid of the referendum have become crucial in the broader spectrum of the debate, and should be celebrated as the stories of our citizens, and what will lead us to our ultimate decisions on 25th May.
