Opening Night

The opening took place at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, at Gallery 126 in Galway, Ireland. Galway is the fourth largest city in Ireland and many consider it to be the cultural base of the country.  The opening gave me the opportunity to connect with the arts community of city while providing  a central venue to exhibit my work.  Since it was a collaborative installation, the feedback was both engaging and interesting in viewing how participants interacted with the piece.

People Entering the Gallery 

During the opening, I gave a talk and explained the concept to the crowd. I asked people to write a thought, memory, or feeling that would symbolically be burned away from their past during the opening. People then placed their paper at one candle, referencing the Twelfth Night ritual that is explained in my artist statement.

Talking to the audience with some support from my daughter.

The exhibition had a performance element to it as I lit all of the candles.  This video unfortunately won't play on mobile version of this blog.

While the photographs represented my own candle, it was interesting to discuss participant's reactions interacting to the piece. 

Image Three

Everyone was concerned that their statement remained secret due to the personal nature of what they wrote.  Some even wrote their message in a different language to keep it hidden.  

Burning Candles

A vigil began to take place as people gathered to watch their candles get closer to being extinguished.  Unfortunately the video won't play on mobile version of this blog.

Over the next hour people viewed the photographs while keeping an eye on the burning candles.  There was great concern for the first candle extinguished along with the last one that remained.

Last Candle

Ultimately, all of the candles went out along with the majority of the statements being burned. No one who attended the opening was familiar with the original ritual as it is part of the past. They agreed that the ritual, like the photographs, seemed very Irish but the vernacular had changed. This site-specific body of work and exhibition was rooted in the past but defines a visceral link to the present for me, and for that night also my audience. 

Image Four