
Artist Support - Dafe Pessu Orugbo + Tebi Rex
Rehearsal Space Ahead of New Production
'Fin. - The Harbinger of Death'
New Work in Progress
09-16 December 2024
Veronica Coburn, Amanda Coogan & Sibéal Davitt
With Dancers Tobi Balogun, Róisín-Rose Laffan & Jessica O'Reilly
The world is full of invisible people
The people we do not see
Let’s talk about them
Living ghosts
Spectres of acceptability
Do we not see them?
Or do we look away?
Because it’s easier
Easier to bear
Because life is hard
And the world is a frightening place
HOUND is an artistic exploration led by Veronica Coburn. With the support of an Arts Council Theatre Bursary Veronica is collaborating with Amanda Coogan, Sibéal Davitt and a group of masked dancers to imagine a modern form and function for masked figures.
Full body masks are societal tools in many countries/communities. Masked figures, covered from head to toe, dance at festivals, carouse through city streets or boldly knock on a door demanding to be let in. In Ireland, we have Mummers & Wren Boys. Mummers with their straw coned heads atop straw clad bodies, & Wren Boys, their rougher cousins, with women’s tights pulled over faces, dressed in their mammy’s pinnies, big feet in mucky boots. Both celebration & challenge, performance & protest. Let me in & I’ll play you a tune. Let me in or else.
Following a period of research, Veronica recently spent time in Draíocht with Amanda responding to the following key prompts.
See me
Hear me
Care for me
Who in our society is not seen? Who do we not hear about or from? What voices are silenced or hushed? Who amongst us needs care. Both Veronica and Amanda now return to Draíocht in December when they will be joined by Sibéal and a small number of dancers. Text will come together with fully masked bodies with draft work filmed by Arcade.
HOUND is a process of artistic exploration. Who needs to be seen? What needs to be said? Who do we need to care for? HOUND is about developing new practice and having the time and opportunity to explore new ways of working.
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Draíocht is recognised as a creative hub and laboratory space and invests significantly in the development of artist's practice by the provision of benefit in kind support such as space, technical support, admin/marketing support and specialist expertise. We offer a wide range of opportunities to artists i.e. commissions, residencies, artist studios/rehearsal space, co-productions, co-commissions, seed funding, mentoring.
Our Artist Support Series, launched during Covid-19, has helped 79 artists in 2020, 50 artists in 2021, 74 artists in 2022 and 53 artists in 2023, with the provision of free rehearsal and creative space. Space to rehearse, write, create, film, dance, think & plan ... whatever is needed!
With thanks to our funders Fingal County Council & The Arts Council.
#SpaceForTheArts #SpaceForMagic #SpaceForYou
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