Artscape: What might an alternative Ireland look like in 2030? That's the starting point for Ireland's ambitious entry for the Venice Architectural Biennale next month.
The 2006 Venice Architectural Biennale theme is "Cities, Architecture and Society" and Ireland is presenting a group show for the first time, an exploration of Irish people's obsession with the land and the motorcar. The exhibits are being packed and shipped this weekend before its presentation being presented at the prestigiousinternational exhibition.
Seaside holiday villages that are only visible only when occupied, floating citiefacilities with shopping and leisure cities and an efficient railway infrastructure that will halve the commuting time across the country are some of the innovative ideas presented in the project from the nine Irish architectural practices involved.
The 2006 Venice Architectural Biennale theme is ities, rchitecture and ociety and Ireland is presenting a group show for the first time, an exploration of Irish people's obsession with the land and the motorcar. The exhibits are being packed and shipped this weekend its presentation at the prestigiousinternational exhibition.
The project "SubUrban to SuperRural".
Nine asked nine architectural practices - Boyd Cody Architects, Bucholz|McEvoy Architects, dePaor Architects, FKL Architects, Henchion+Reuter Architects, heneghan.peng.architects, MacGabhann Architects, ODOS Architects and Dominic Stevens - were asked to look ahead 25 years at our preoccupation with living on the edge [SubUrban] or beyond SuperRural] the city's hold, with predictions and possible solutions for the next generation.
"Architects are not soothsayers, but somebody needs to fill the visionary vacuum and illustrate some of the characteristics of success that should mark our society a generation hence," says architect Shane O'Toole of the Irish Architecture Foundation, which was nominated by Culture Ireland to curate Ireland's commission our participation in this year's the Biennale. "Nine architects of the generation who will shape our children's Ireland have spent the spring and summer fleshing out a series of projects and scenarios that offer different glimpses of that future. Scenarios are not predictions, however. They are stories built around methodically constructed plots. Their real importance lies in the conversations they spark and the decisions they inform. The show FKL has created for Venice is intended to offer plenty of food for thought and to spark debate here at home among the general public," he said.
FKL architects were appointed to curated the Irish entry last winter, following an open call for proposals. The Foundation's Shane O'Toole, who was also Ireland's Commissioner for the 2004 Biennale Some ¤140,000, or 42% per cent of the total budget for the Irish entry in Venice is from Culture Ireland. the Irish State Agency established by the Minister for Arts last year to promote Ireland's arts and culture internationally is providing The Arts Council, the RIAI [Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) and the private development sector have also contributed. Minister John O'Donoghue commented that 'The Venice Biennale is the world's foremost showcase for architecture and I am delighted that we have been able to support Ireland's best young architects in presenting their work, and showcasing Ireland, to such a large international audience.
The 10th Venice ArchitecturalBiennale, which takes placeruns from September 10th to November 19th2006in Venice,, Italy, features participants from 50 countrieson four different continents.
Improbable glow at Edinburgh
Anyone doubting whether they'd "get it" in Scotland will be reassured. The reviews this week of Rough Magic's Improbable Frequency at the Fringe in the Traverse positively glow. Benedict Nightingale's five-star review in the London Times on Thursday, headed "A sophisticated satire that could laugh all the way to the West End", says it's "one of the wittiest, funniest, most enjoyable shows I have ever seen in Edinburgh". He ends his review: "If the Irish can tolerate being retrospectively accused of Fascist sympathies, the English should not mind hearing Foreign Office men shake their heads at Paddy's folly in refusing to be British. A show in London for the Donmar or Trafalgar Studios, perhaps, or even the new West End studio to be named the Sondheim." Indeed, company producer Loughlin Deegan says there's already a lot of interest from other venues in the UK.
The four-star review from Joyce McMillan in the Scotsman says "the award-winning Dublin company Rough Magic has returned to Edinburgh with a fabulously ironic post-modern take on the subject [of British-Irish relations]. Improbable Frequency is a dazzlingly inventive cabaret-style musical . . . there's no overstating the breathtaking verbal brilliance, wit, and sheer showbiz flair of this show's early tour around wartime Dublin."
And Ian Shuttleworth in the Financial Times (four stars) writes, "[Arthur] Riordan and composing duo Bell Helicopter top Stoppard by making their kaleidoscope of coincidences a musical, whose patter-songs are crammed so densely with puns as to satisfy the most die-hard fan of WS Gilbert or Tom Lehrer."
A time to dance
Starting next week,Rex Levitate's fortnight of choreographic exploration, currently running at Project, willcombines their ownexpertise with that of New York-based dancer and choreographer Jodi Melnick and Irish lighting designer Paul Keogan, writes Christine Madden.
Melnick, sought after for her physically sensitive and expressive style, has performed with such companies and choreographers as Twyla Tharp, Trisha Brown and Donna Uchizono - for whom she recently appeared in New York in a trio with Mikhail Baryshnikov, . "The level of detail around her movement is extraordinary," says Rex Levitates's artistic director, Liz Roche, who hopes to be able to commission a full-length work from Melnick for 2007.
The collaboration with Melnick, including open classes for professional dancers and exploratory work with the company as well as four invited performers, will fill were in the first week's line-up of experimentation. uring the second,
Next week, company member Jenny Roche will take over the classes as Keogan creates lighting for a new piece that Rex Levitates will present in the upcoming Fringe Festival. Opening on September 12th, the piece will include Keogan's input from the start: "I want to make a piece that starts with the lighting," explains Liz Roche. The finished work will focus on exploring lighting concept and effect in dance as well as choreographic movement.
Informal showcase sessions open to the public willare capping each week of research. For the discussions, says Roche, "I would love people not usually associated with dance to come and comment - it's part of the research". The showcase/discussion sessions beginrun at today at 3pm on August 12th and19thand next Saturday.
