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Five different views of Fingal

Every year Amharc Fhine Gall – the Fingal view – uses different media to exhibit all that is best of the county in a cultural perspective. In the past, we have had craft workers displaying their wares, a photographer annotating the quirky and humdrum and school students curating the county’s art exhibition.

This year marks the fifth year of the programme and the council has decided to highlight the works of five young artists living and working in the county. “We advertised an open call to recent graduates and received approximately twenty entries, all of a very high standard,” explained Fingal’s public art coordinator, Caroline Crowley. “We selected five artists - Jennifer Phelan (Malahide,) Tracy Hanna (Swords,) Deirdre Byrne (Kinsealy,) Logan McClain (Carpenterstown) and Lorna Fitzsimons (Rush) - based on the aesthetic quality and originality in terms of their particular use of their chosen material. The criteria stated that the work could be in any medium, provided they were from or living in Fingal.

“All were chosen for their particular relationship with their chosen medium, as they explore unique aspects of photography, print, video installation, thread and sculpture. All of the artists are presenting new work made in relation to the space and in some way to each other.”

The exhibition, which will run for two months in Draíocht’s Ground Floor Gallery, seeks to showcase and nurture emerging talent in the county and Dublin 15’s own Logan McClain is delighted at the opportunity the exhibition affords.

“Draiocht is an absolutely fantastic space to showcase our work,” he said. “I’ve rented exhibition space in the past simply to show people that I was serious about my work but I really appreciate the opportunity this show affords.”

“Logan's work is very interesting as he takes the traditional medium of drawing and transfers this into thread,” said Caroline Crowley. “It is a form of contemporary embroidery but it goes beyond that. The subject of this work is concerned with the object, the man- made and how these symbols are questioned and contradictory when shown in the delicate medium of thread.”

In other words, he draws using, not a brush, but a sewing machine. So how did these unusual stitch drawings come about?

“I’d always been interested in drawing, whether it was people, maps or inanimate objects,” he explained. “In college, I spent my first year or two in a rather aimless way but then I was fortunate to come into contact with Dr. Helen McAllister, who is absolutely amazing. She introduced me to the world of textiles and I’ve been hooked, so to speak, ever since!”

Logan, who attended Castleknock Community College, graduated from NCAD with a BA in Art and Design Education in 2005 and is currently studying for a Masters in Textile Design, also at NCAD. “Doing a Masters has introduced me to a lot of new technologies,” he says, “from multi-heads to garment pointers. It has also given me the opportunity to do a bit of teaching myself, as the artwork doesn’t always pay the bills. This in turn has provided me with the freedom to pursue my work.

“And also, being in College helps to keep you at the forefront of any developments that are happening.”

As well as the Amharc Fhine Gall V gig, Logan is also currently exhibiting in a group show in the Loft Gallery on East Lombard Street and has previously been featured in Ballina Arts Centre and the RDS, where he won the coveted Marion Flegg-O’Brien award. With his Masters hopefully under his belt by June, Logan McClain is certainly a name to keep an eye out for as he bursts onto the artistic scene.

Apart from Logan’s threadwork, the exhibition will also feature unique aspects of photography, print, video installation and sculpture. Jennifer Phelan (Malahide) graduated from the National College of Art and Design in 2004 with a BA in Fine Art and History of Art. She later completed a HDIP in Community Arts Education also at NCAD. Deirdre Byrne (Kinsealy) graduated with a BA in Fine Art from NCAD in 2003. Tracy Hanna (Swords) graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Dublin Institute of Technology and was awarded best fine art student and thesis at DIT in 2007. Lorna Fitzsimons (Lusk) graduated with a BA in photography from the Institute of Art Design and Technology, Dun Laoghaire and was winner of the IPPA Student Award in 2007.

“The unifying aesthetic of these artists is a quiet, personal attachment to their chosen material,” said
Caroline Crowley. “Through their work they display an intricate, gentle sensibility and attention to detail, in relation to both subject matter and practice. The artists chosen all expand and explore the properties of video, installation, thread, photography and pen through themes of site, object, memory, nature and environment .The works causes the viewer to pause, look closely and move slowly around the gallery space.

“The exhibition shows the Fingal arts office’s attention to detail by finding, highlighting and encouraging these young artists in the early stages of their careers and we hope this exhibition will help to promote their work for future Success. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition and will be available from the arts office. We wanted the catalogue to reflect the title, visiting the artist’s studios and workspaces to record details of their surroundings all of which give us an insight into their way of working,” said Caroline.

Amharc Fhine Gall V “All in the Detail” by Jennifer Phelan, Deirdre Byrne, Tracy Hanna, Logan McClain and Lorna Fitzsimons appears at Draíocht’s Ground Floor Gallery from 7th March to 3rd May 2008.

Admission as always is free.

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