Making their mark

In this line of business, a lot of invitations to gallery openings drop onto the mat

In this line of business, a lot of invitations to gallery openings drop onto the mat. It's rare, however to be invited to a closing, but that's exactly what is going on over at the old Project building on East Essex Street since Monday. Artist Maurice O'Connell has been the artist-in-residence since July and the two-week celebration of the Project and its history is the culmination of his stay. Everybody in the Project's extended family has been allocated a bit of the front wall and is invited to scrawl on it, paint on it or mark it in whatever way they see fit. Director Jim Sheridan, who was very involved with the Project, popped by on Monday and other Project folk have been wandering down all week to share their memories of the building. There are also various installations in the building - a Hitchcock-esque piece by Rachel Ballagh on Thursday and Friday and a performance by the Irish Dance Theatre tomorrow. Maurice will be at Essex Street from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day and has declared: "This is not about beating chests but it's not out of the question."