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arTs FEsTIval Galway MaGaZINET

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Something newthere are so many fascinating aspects to the galway Arts Festival that it’s near impossible to package it all in one little mag. if we can manage to give you a taster of what’s in store, who’s involved and hopefully bring even an ounce of the magic that comes with the festival onto the humble page, then we’ve done our job.

…the rest is up to you, so get out there and experience the wonderful world of gAF.

enjoy!

The Galway Arts Festival Magazine Team.

InsIde Galway arts FestIval MaGazIne4 Festival Highlights6 Cathy davey 10 Human league 14 Philip King’s arts and Future 18 Macnas’s electric dreams 22 why we love GaF 25 Fun Festival Facts 26 GaF tv 30 Phil retrospector 34 Ian rankin 36 visual arts Programme 40 Festival Hotspots 43 Behind the scenes with rob Usher 44 GaF Programme list

Credits

Produced by Jo Lavelle & Elaine DivillyDesign by Kitty Chan @ keipable.com

Political Mother brims with Shechter’s emotional and gritty complexity, powerful percussive grooves and a raw and honest physicality. Performed by ten dancers, the work is accompanied by Shechter’s own cinematic score featuring a live band.

July 20 – 24

HofeSH SHeCHter CoMPany

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Me and My feStivalthe festival team take time out to anticipate

Rob Usher, Production TeamI’m really looking forward to the tent going up. It’s such a fantastic spectacle and creates such a buzz, not only here in the GAF offices, but also all around the city.

Rosa Flannery, Administration TeamIn the top-spots of my lengthy list for Galway Arts Festival 2010 are Bristol Old Vic's production of Uncle Vanya, NY Theatre Workshop's Aftermath, the chance to hear Bret Easton Ellis discuss his writing and the much-talked about new work Political Mother from choreographer Hofesh Shechter. Naturally, I plan to end the festival on an electro-pop note, dancing the night away to The Human League and Heaven 17!

Elizabeth Duffy, Festival AdministratorI'm really looking forward to the Big Top going up and going to see The Human League perform there. I've been a fan of theirs for more years than I care to admit.I can imagine the crowd leaving the Festival Big Top singing ‘Don’t you want me baby’. I also look forward to seeing ordinary buildings transformed into beautiful Visual Arts spaces.

Kathy Scott, Communications/Publicity TeamI have to confess to extreme excitement about Hofesh Shechter Dance Company – this may well be the GAF show of the century to date!

Laura Rigney, Friends CoordinatorEach year, I look forward to reconnecting with old friends, while getting to experience the high calibre of talent that comes to our shores. I love the hustle and bustle the festival brings to Galway, as well as the energy it gives the city. But most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing the Big Top lit up at night.

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Tracey Ferguson, Communications/Marketing TeamI can’t wait for the Hofesh Schecter dance show, all the Big Top Gigs; The Human League & Heaven 17 in particular. Plus, I’m looking forward to Badly Drawn Boy, Neil Hannon, Angus & Julia Stone and Teenage Fanclub. I’m really excited to see Druid's Penelope, One Small Step, Space Panorama and Electric Bridget's The Grippe Girls. The unmissable comedy from Reggie Watts, Reg D. Hunter and Danny Bhoy is also high up on my list. In visual art, the star of the show will be the Matisse exhibition in the Galway City Museum! And of course the wonderful Macnas Parade.

Gwen O’Sullivan, Communications/Publicity TeamI'm looking forward to the magnificent 80's electro-pop double bill with The Human League and Heaven 17 live at the Festival Big Top on Saturday 24 July. I have wonderful memories of that decade and the music, a not-to-be missed concert finale at the Festival Big Top 2010.

CatHy davey

What does it feel like to be top of your game?It's an absolute honour to be appreciated. This album was a relatively small release without a label funding it, but it proves how well the cottage industry approach can serve. Ireland is a great place to be an independent; it would definitely be another story if I lived in the UK.

you’ve said that the music that you were previously writing seemed at odds with what was going on in your life. do you feel more in tune (excuse the pun!) with the nameless? I feel I had the right atmosphere to be as open and candid as I liked with this album. I was inspired by the freedom from Major label, freedom of touring Silversleeve, and freedom from limited experience in all departments. By the time I was reshaping and finishing off the songs, I had felt with all the subject matter and in a way made my peace with it. I’m glad to have written it all in real time, and though it may not be apparent to most, it is to me. When did you start song writing? did you always have ambitions to become a famous singer/songwriter?I wrote and sang because it felt good. I started playing piano when I was tiny because there was one in the house. Singing was part of that too. I never wanted to be famous; the lifestyle wouldn't suit me.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a singer? Could you imagine living a 9 to 5 existence?I can imagine it because I've had many jobs before I recorded the first album. I’ve been a painter decorator, barmaid, caterer, office temp, waitress, hairdresser (for a summer). I sometimes fantasise about a regular paycheck, and stable timetable. Maybe one day.

Cathy davey plays the festival Big top July 23

Cathy Davey’s music career has snowballed in the past couple of years, with Nameless going straight to No 1. Used to shunning the limelight, Ms

Davey’s now realised it’s her time to shine.

“I’ve been a painter decorator, barmaid, caterer, office temp, waitress, hairdresser.”

you’re playing the Big top in Galway – do you find the Galway audience differs from elsewhere?Galway crowds are pure energy; my very first good gig was in the Roisin Dubh and I can’t wait to play the Big Top.

What’s your favourite type of venue to play in?One where there's no bar! It's disconcerting to hear bottles over the quiet bit of a song.

your best gig? Well, my favourite was last Sunday in Bundoran's Sea Sessions festival. The tent was packed and sticky and full of happy folks. Can't beat it!

do you ever get stage fright?Not in a long time, I used to get very panicky and nauseous before a gig, but now I know life's too short.

What do you like/dislike about touring?I hate the diet of petrol station sandwiches. I love the development of songs throughout the tour.

What do you like to do in your down-time?Walking and swimming. I have a thing for moving furniture too, that gets me off for some reason.

your favourite get-away?Home with the Columbo box set.

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AD

don’t miss the legendary french artist, Henri Matisse’s ‘drawing with Scissors’

from Monday 12 July to Sunday 25 at the Galway City Museum.

Free admission

Henri MatiSSe

AD

don’t miss the legendary french artist, Henri Matisse’s ‘drawing with Scissors’

from Monday 12 July to Sunday 25 at the Galway City Museum. ADat the Galway City Museum. ADFree admissionADFree admissionAD

Henri MatiSSe

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Heaven 17

MARTYN WARE

By Jo Lavelle

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Continuing the legacy of Human League and Heaven 17 with the same energy, the same verve and the same passion for over 30 years is a feat in itself. But it’s

certainly no struggle, says Martyn Ware, founder of both bands, who realises just what a ‘lucky bastard’ he is.

“We’re having a ball to be honest. We’re not over it yet; it’s not a chore for us. After a certain period of time on the road a lot of people just regard it as a job, albeit a slightly glamorous one. We don’t really. To us it’s a sort of wonder and we love it to death. We’ve got some great young players in our band as well, so it’s a mixture of them and old codgers like us.”

It was in 1977 that the synth-pop group Human League broke onto the music scene with hits ‘Don’t you want me baby’ and ‘Human’. A couple of years later, their record company and manager at the time split the band and Heaven 17 was formed, of which Martyn has been a member of ever since. He also formed the production company/label British Electric Foundation the same year, and has worked with the likes of Tina Turner, Terrance Trent Darby, Erasure, Chaka Khan and Marc Almond over the years. The members of Heaven 17 and Human League are still the best of friends, still play together, and are still entertaining crowds with an electric energy that has inspired much of the industry’s current favourites.

The type of electro-pop music they were so famed for in the 70s has stood the test of time, with a new generation of followers young enough to be their sons and daughters. “It’s so amazing I can’t tell you, and I’m not using that world lightly. When we were doing ‘Penthouse And Pavement’ for instance, our intention was to kind of future proof it to a certain extent; we built the album to last. In our minds eye, we thought it would be nice if people would still listen to it ten years ahead and here we are, 30 years ahead and people are still referencing it - and not as a museum piece, but as a living, vibrant piece of music which inspires younger artists.”

The artists that Martyn’s referring to could be one of many - Eleanor Jackson from La Roux for instance, whose collaboration with Heaven 17 on the BBC 6 music session earlier this year was a huge hit. It got the most interactive hits of any music oriented gigs they’d ever done on the BBC, including Robbie Williams, with 2 million views a week at one point. “It just shows there’s a real appetite for interesting collaborations between contemporary artists and the bands that helped inspire them.”

With the current cut-throat music scene making it pretty difficult for young, talented artists to make their mark, how would Martyn feel about starting off in 2010? “We’d have been stuffed. My entire career in music would not

have happened. Fortunately, we started at a time when there was an explosion of record companies signing unusual acts and we were definitely that with Human league and Heaven 17. It was also a time when record sales were good and everybody could make money out of it. Record companies in those days were willing to lose money on the first couple of albums to build an audience. That just doesn’t happen any more. Now you’re lucky enough if you can get a couple of singles, not a couple of albums. And if you don’t make money on either of those - good night, thank you. It’s just different to how it used to be and thank God we did it when we did.”

And fortunate they are. Having celebrated their 30th anniversary last year, going on tour, getting signed by the William Morris Agency, Heaven 17 are living the dream, once again. “For us, we look forward to performing, not just for the joy of performing but because we’re all such great mates. We just have a ball. It’s like party time for us, it’s like holiday time - we don’t regard it as work. We do take it very seriously, but it’s something that gives us a great deal of joy. And I believe that that kind of spirit shows on stage and transmits itself to the audience - that’s why people enjoy what we do so much.”

Is the old rock ‘n roll lifestyle what it used to be? “It’s straight into slippers and a pipe as soon as we come off stage. No, no it’s not. We can’t party as hard as we used to but you can’t avoid it. It’s very exciting, so you’re down to have a couple of drinks after you come off stage. And we all get on so well - we have such a great time.”

Watch Human League and Heaven 17 wow the crowds at the Festival Big Top on 24 July.

Heaven 17

Human leage

directed by enda Walsh

“i never thought i’d have the backbone for suicide but faced now with the likelihood of watching my own backbone being removed and flung onto that barbecue, i think it’s only fair that i should give suicide a shot.”

Druid’s previous partnerships with Enda Walsh have led to sell–out runs in six countries worldwide, wowing critics and audiences alike.

July 12 – 24

druid tHeatre’S PeneloPe

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THE ARTS THE FUTURE

By Jo Lavelle

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Philip has been involved in the arts in Ireland for over 20 years, currently serving as a member of the Arts Council of Ireland.

With a deep passion for the arts and a love of Irish culture, this Cork man believes the sky’s the limit when it comes to what the arts can do for our country.

“The arts have given us a sense of ourselves, and they have buttressed up our self-esteem and our self worth. That psychologically makes us considerable as a proposition for ourselves. If we’re considerable as a proposition for ourselves, then we’re considerable as a proposition for others,” says Phliip. Then there’s the knock-on effect of the economy in a country “because the people who pull together, who make something happen and have self-belief in these particular areas, then they can do it in any other area as well.”

Other elements that are present in an arts festival such as volunteerism, community, a sense of place, a sense of self worth and a real belief that what you’re doing is good in itself, are of significant importance in the regeneration or generation of any economy, according to Philip.

“Then there are the hard economic facts - an arts festival like the Galway Arts Festival is a powerful tool when one talks about cultural tourism. When the arts festival began, there was no such theme as cultural tourism. People came, they jumped in the sea, they went to Salthill, they did what they did and that was that. Nowadays we talk about cultural tourism, we talk about all sorts of ways that the arts contributed to the economy.”

As Ireland’s biggest industry, tourism, which is now in crisis, needs to look to other means of attracting people to our shores, things that will make Ireland “uniquely attractive, alluring and magnetic” for the tourist, he says. “The thing that will enable it to do such is the work of the artists, the community and the culture. The culture, of course is the people, and the people the artists.”

Philip dubs The Galway Arts Festival as the original of the species, and says he remembers back to the 70s when people were just beginning to talk about the notion of an arts festival. It was dismissed by some, but the nature of the city with its artistic flair and its love of a good time, all won out.

“Galway is a crossroads, it’s where many things intersect. It’s the capital of the West, it has a tradition of music, it has a great tradition

of theatre, it has a tradition of Irish language theatre, it has the influence of the Aran islands and the influence of Connemara, all coming together to make it a powerfully alluring place for artists themselves to be and if you do not have the artist, you cannot have an arts festival.”

It’s hard to imagine a Quay Street that doesn’t emanate the sheer life and soul of the city as it does today. But rewind 30 years or so, and the unmatchable atmosphere, that sense of culture and carnival was all but a twinkle in the eye of those who were responsible for taking the arts to a new level in Galway such as Ollie Jennings and Paraic Breathnach, who founded the Galway Arts Festival back in 1978.

“I remember walking into Jimmy McGuire’s Bar, Neachtain’s on Quay Street in the 70s when that bar was shuttered - you’d tap on the door and you were let in. That was a very, very quiet street,” he recalls. “The regeneration of the heart of Galway owes its regeneration financially, economically, culturally, economically to one thing and to one thing only and that is in the broadest sense - the arts. Look at Druid, look at the Taibhearc, look at what is there and you will see that it will be artists who sat in rooms with scripts and poems and films - they were the people in their own way just loved what they did, who gave up themselves and made a human capital investment into the infrastructure of the place they loved to live in.”

So with a nod to those whose artistic input made Galway what it is today, and a clear sense of just what means to the city, the country, the economy as a whole, could we turn the tide on the dwindling tourism industry?

“The real message is these are the things that make us considerable; these are the things that will make us considerable in the world. These are the things that make the destination considerable as a cultural tourist and these are the things that will give us a great sense of ourselves and a ‘yes, we can’ Obama-type feeling. And yes, we can do it for ourselves.”

An evening with Ian Rankin & Philip King takes place in the Radisson Live Lounge at 6pm July 20. Ian Rankin will read from his work and discuss the presence of music in his writing with Philip King.

Are the arts in this country our passport to better things? Philip King, well known film producer/ director, music producer, musician, songwriter and radio broadcaster believes they are.

‘THE WILD HUNT’‘Dreaming is as important as seeing or dying or anything else in this mysterious life’. Don Juan

ELECTRIC ELECTRIC ELECTRIC DREAMSDREAMSDREAMS‘THE WILD HUNT’‘THE WILD HUNT’‘THE WILD HUNT’‘THE WILD HUNT’

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the wild hunt - a dream through the eyes of a giant 8-year-old boy who is chasing after a butterfly. The Wild Hunt is all about truth

seeking, and believing in something other than reality. there’s a minataur, a large black crow with brass musicians extending from its orifices, wolf dancers moving to the deep, thumping sounds of the oil barrel drummers. it’s the much-anticipated macnas parade.

“All of the performers this year are inspired by the traditional vagabond, story-teller, shaman, trickster, joker, dreamer, schemer, and they’re all engaging and interacting with the audience all along the route,” says macnas Artistic Director noeline Kavanagh. “it’s about an alternative way of living, of celebration, of bringing out the wildness and the feral energy within us all and presenting that in the landscape that’s on the streets.”

So imagine 70,000 odd people lining the streets for the spectacle of the year. the rising excitement as macnas snakes its way through the medieval streets of galway. You’re never quite sure what to expect - but you’re always impressed and awed by the sheer originally and visual impact of a macnas parade.

the wild hunt is not just any old parade. it’s a parade with a heartbeat, a huge personality, and one with a very clear message. “Basically it’s about bringing back a sense of the unpredictable and the energy within us all, particularly in a society that has been undermined both economically and politically.”

with an artistic director like noeline at the helm, a group of 300 volunteers who are madly passionate about it, in addition to the fact that it’s based in such a vibrant city as galway, macnas manages to work its magic time and time again. “You can’t help but be inspired, or driven demented by where you grew up and you’re from,” says noeline, a galway native who’s back on home soil after leaving the city at 17. “galway has a particular energy; it has water coming through it, it’s probably one of the wettest places in the country, it has a wildness to it, an energy, an artistry and a passion to it…and it has a darkness to it. So if you’re making work on a large scale, engaging the community and drawing inspiration from that community, that’s what makes it intrinsically particular to that landscape and to that space and place.”

this year’s parade takes place during the day, with a more “earthy” feel to it than other years, according to noeline. this year, the wild hunt begins collectively, with the parade huddling together as a solid body throughout, which will no doubt have an even more spectacular impact on the crowds. noeline uses the word “energy” a lot when describing the wild hunt, and in a sense, that’s exactly what it is - it’s the huge ball of energy of those who’ve worked really hard to get it off the ground and give it the focus, fun and theatrics that it deserves.

with planning for the festival taking place as early as november of the previous year, it’s not until January that ideas are firmed up, with plans put in place to get as much work done by the eight-strong macnas team

before the volunteers arrive only weeks before the parade. “Basically, because of our funding we don’t have the luxury of engaging our community and our artists from January, so we try to prepare as much as we can, and then you start to make the work from may. Because it’s a very particular team that’s required to make it happen, and over 300

people from the community are involved in the piece, to try to galvanise that energy to make it happen is a challenge. i’d like more time but we don’t have the resources or funding to enable that. on the upside, you get a mad, frenetic energy on the day. And my job as an artistic director is to make the work happen - if i don’t have a million euros to do it, i have to be artistic and inventive enough to make it happen in the timeframe that we do.”

And that is what they do, and have been doing for over 25 years. So just how has the parade evolved over the years? “i think we’re returning more to the energy of unpredictability of storytelling of wildness and of engaging. i think that we’ve had parades over the years that have been very carnival and very parade like, lots of groups of people with lots of similar images moving, telling a story in a very colourful way. this year, we’re picking out a much more individual energy to the piece and also individual performers and individual acts that interact very particularly with the audience, rather than just pass them by.”

over the years, macnas has seen the skill, talent and artful touch of many an artist who brought their

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own magic, and their own personality to the company. now with noeline as the artistic talent behind one of ireland’s best loved street acts, she feels the company is currently going through a “rebirth”, what with the recent changes on a social, economic and political level. “macnas is re-emerging in a different context to work with the people who are in the company now, and the landscape that the country is in now, and the art that will inspire that.”

“i feel privileged and lucky to be able to make work with these people at this time. i love what i do and i believe strongly in where i come from and i believe strongly in the legacy that is macnas and the possibility and potential of macnas moving forward.” noeline Kavanagh,

Macnas artistic director

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WHy We love it artS feSt MaGiCWhen the city comes alive with the festival, something magic happens here. these Galwegians tell us what it means to them.

Matt Skeffington, Artisanthe Galway arts Festival is my favourite time of the year. I love that for two weeks, Galway is host to some of the most talented artists from all aspects of the arts from across the globe. It puts Galway on the map as one the top destinations for the arts in the world. take Hofesh shechter dance company's ‘Political Mother’ - the only other places this show can be seen this year is london, new york or sydney.I’m also very excited about the Henri Matisse exhibition this year; you normally have to queue for hours in the louvre Paris or the tate london to see his work but we have it down the road in the Museum for two weeks! My absolute favourite moment has to be during the festival two years ago, walking into tigh neachtain on a Monday afternoon to find the Bueno vista social Club playing in the corner. where else in the world would that happen?

Ken Bruen, Authorthe vibe in Galway in the summer is always fresh but the art's Festival brings it up to the next level. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without Macnas who every year, continue to up the ante and introduce a new level of creativity and sheer imagination. and the joy of the kids who get to participate in Macnas is pure delight. as the next arts Festival is about to descend, you truly know you are privileged to not only live in this wondrous city but to see the festival grow and become an essential segment of the summer.

Kernan Andrews, Arts Editor, Galway AdvertiserI always look forward to getting the programme and seeing what will be happening for the two weeks, especially in the theatre and dance events, which are always the strongest in each year's programme. each year, I’ve been blown away by the dance performances and always found them to be among my highlights at the end of the festival, so more and more I begin to look forward to them and I will be keen to check out Hofesh schechter's Political Mother this year.

Ina O’Murchú, Social BitsJuly, fun, late nights out, artistic creativity, electric atmosphere, expecting the unexpected, Macnas, summer, theatre. It can only be one thing - the Galway arts Festival! ever since I was a little girl and saw a giant Gulliver washed up on the beach in salthill, back in 1988, the Galway arts Festival has always grabbed my imagination. It is the one time of the year in Galway that you truly do not know what to expect as you turn a street corner in the town in July. I don't think anyone else could dream up such a festival that so suits this bohemian town. Galway arts Festival showcases Galway for what it really is - the true creative capital of Ireland.

Kernan Andrews

Ken Bruen

Ina O’Murchú

Matt Skeffington

Pat McDonagh

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Aine Killilea, Director Evolve Public Relationssome of my fondest memories as a child are of my experiences while attending the Galway arts Festival. Its ability to inject further bursts of life into the city each year enhances Galway's vibrancy.

Ollie Canning, Galway Senior Hurler Galway arts Festival is an important time for the people of Galway. It introduces both local people and visitors alike to new experiences in the world of the arts. Most importantly Galway arts Festival makes these events accessible to everyone.

Paula Feeney, Central Park when I'm asked why I love living in Galway, the little shiver of anticipation that hits when your walking across the grass, towards the Festival Big top is something that always comes to mind. you see the darkness through the tent openings and hear the muffled noise; then as you walk inside and your eyes adjust - the jumbled shapes form into people, you get your bearings and there is a rush when the lights kick in, the act hits the stage and everyone gets caught up in the atmosphere.we know how to enjoy ourselves in Galway; we're known around the world for our love of life and for our uncanny knack of finding things to celebrate. the arts festival adds to the mix. everyone is thrown together under the shadow of the festival and a little bit of magic happens for us here every year.

Pat McDonagh, MD of Supermac'sGalway Arts Festival has been synonymous with Galway for the last 33 years. It was one of the first arts festivals in the country and due to its wonderful success it has been imitated by other towns and areas in some from around the country. Due to its strength as the original and best, Galway Arts Festival continues to go from strength to strength.

John Muldoon, Captain Connacht RugbyGaF always makes a very strong impact on the city. Bringing people from all over the world to Galway, it's the time when the atmosphere of the city reaches its height.

Lorna Siggins, The Irish TimesstranGe Fruit’s four-metre high sphere walkers, Charlie Chaplin’s grandson James thiéréé in the Junebug symphony, Macnas’s epic interpretation of the Mysteries in the driving rain on nUI Galway’s tennis courts...these are among my many memories of the Galway arts Festival. and dare I mention the wonderful, side-spllitting one-man show, the Fairgreen slaughterhhouse by diarmuid de Faoite during Project O6? However, the event that stands out above all others in our household was the Urban dream Capsule family of australians and their gnomes who camped out in Galway City library’s window for all those days and nights back in 2001.

Ken Bruen

Ina O’Murchú

Matt Skeffington

Lorna Siggins

Ollie Canning

John Muldoon

Paula Feeney

Aine Killilea

gAF tV

tHe World of Gaf tv

By Jo lavelle Justin McCarthy, the man behind Gaf tv, is a man with an almost tangible passion both for the arts, and technology…and a man who appears to have boundless energy. He needs it. as we meet up, he’s just getting to meet the volunteers who will make GAF TV happen for the first time…There’s 40 of them.

gAF tV

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leon Butler, Olaf tyaransen, aoife nic Fhearghusa and Justin McCarthyPhoto: Boyd Challenger

Justin McCarthy, the man behind Gaf tv, is a man with an almost tangible passion both for the arts, and technology…and a

man who appears to have boundless energy. He needs it. as we meet up, he’s just getting to meet the volunteers who will make Gaf tv happen for the first time…There’s 40 of them.

Throughout the two weeks of the festival, GAF TV will produce ten packages daily, covering the 150 events on the programme. This is GAF TV’s second year in existence, gaining an impressive following from last year’s coverage. Not surprising seeing as it’s the ideal way in which to show the world exactly what’s going on in the festival. From previews, to interviews and behind-the scenes coverage, GAF TV covers every aspect of the festival.

Running on an almost zero budget, the volunteering team is essential. These are men and women from all over the country, some with lots of experience, some with very little. Remarkably, things run pretty smoothly, something that Justin puts down to the fact that everyone wants to be

there, everyone is having a blast, and there’s a huge commitment on all sides to make it work. “People are very free to actually do the best they can with what they have a passion for. It's one of the few chances people get to do what they actually want. I have a very simple policy, I let people do whatever they think they’re good at it – and it works really well.” So much so that on the last night of last year’s festival, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, including Justin, because those two weeks had been the best two weeks of some of the volunteers lives’.

During the festival, the team heads off each day to film, they come back to edit the footage at the Huston School of Film where GAF is based for the festival duration, then the packages are uploaded nightly at 8pm, so that one minute past midnight, all the footage of that day is live. The packages include footage from all the main events, with behind the scenes stories and interviews creating a very rounded and satisfying glimpse of the energy and the whole sense of the festival. “I like to cover aspects from different shows such as how they

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Olaf tyaransen and Justin McCarthy with the GaF film crew at the druid theatre.Photo: Boyd Challenger

achieved certain things, the background of the show, or the technical aspects such as lighting or sound. And you’ll normally find that there’s details on shows that make the shows much more interesting and would have a huge attraction to people who would have a passion for that particular show. So we try to deal with both – do coverage of the show and then get into details.”

The two weeks spent by volunteers carrying out the work for GAF TV must be somewhat of a relief for those in regular TV jobs. For those who aren’t, maybe an unrealistic and romantic view of the media world? “Production as a regular thing can be a terribly disappointing experience if you’re creative because you start into it with all these ambitions and then you get ground down by a combination of form filling and documentation and bureaucracy stuff. So this is different because it’s the web, and we’ve cleared an awful lot of stuff out of the way. You go out and you film it, you make it, you put it up and you go out the next day and you continue. So from a creative view, it’s much more exciting. And everybody who has made the package has complete access to them, they can use them for CVs, so it’s actually giving a lot of aspiring filmmakers an asset.”

It might only be year two of the Web TV channel, or a “moving pictures newspaper” as Justin calls it, but it has reached an audience previously untouched, and for Justin, this is just the start of something much bigger. “I’ve been trying to make it viral. When we get something exclusive or unique or unusual, what happens is obviously it goes up on our own website, but it also goes onto every Facebook friend we can get it up to and it goes on Youtube and also goes to every other contact we can find. Last year was great; it got an enormous reaction within the industry because it was such an obvious thing to do, and remarkably nobody had done it. We got lots of interesting emails from people from all over the world who hadn’t been able to make it to the festival, and the fact that they could dip into different shows and look, from that aspect it was great.”

Having spent over two decades as a television editor, and more recently, a web developer, Justin’s interest in the future of the web and his dogged belief in going with all the changes in the world of technology and media as they’re happening made GAF TV an obvious choice. “This is the future. What’s going to happen is there’s a huge amount of people out there now who can make television – it only requires a laptop and a camera that costs three grand. When I started in this business, the cameras cost 75 grand and the edit suites cost 100. You can now make a TV programme for 5 or 6 grand, and they’re pretty much the same engineering specs. So that’s meant that there’s a whole lot more people who can comment, and who can make things. He sees

web-based TV as being the ideal format in which to present the Galway Arts Festival to the world, due to what he calls the “tribal” nature of online social media and the tribal nature of the arts.

Justin’s passion for the Galway Arts Festival was ignited when he arrived in Galway from Dublin in 1992. “It was very much a culture that firstly didn’t take itself too seriously but it wasn’t a class culture. In Ireland if you look at Cork, Belfast, Limerick and Dublin, there’s quite a class culture. When you come to Galway, those barriers simply don’t exist; it doesn’t work like that. If you don’t believe me then you just walk down to Macnas and you wouldn’t have a notion where anyone’s from and it actually doesn’t matter a damn. And the gorgeous kind of freedom that comes with a place having its own identity and culture that actually precedes any social model, which is what Galway managed

to do with the arts festival in the beginning…it was obviously what it was and it wasn’t anything else. And that, to me, was the most astonishing thing I’d ever seen.”

Merging his passion for all things techie with his passion for the arts is pretty much heaven for Justin. When he talks about Galway, about the arts, about the arts festival, he visibly lights up. “Galway has

this weird attraction. It attracts that sense of optimism and vibrancy that so few other places do. You come here and you believe it’s possible. Our arts festival is the biggest in the country - it is so for good reason. It’s beautifully curated and it has a lovely eclectic mix of things; there’s a huge amount of interesting things happening in the arts festival that you don’t see anywhere else. The Artistic Director Paul Fahy gets that exactly right.”

In term of the medium, Justin believes web-based TV is exactly where the future’s at, particular in Ireland due to the large amount of TV graduates who are now having difficulty finding work in the traditional TV industry, and the fact that there’s a lot of filming equipment out there. “What nobody’s done is plugged them all in together. That’s where the future is.”

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MASH-UP GENIUS Galway’s own Phil RetroSpector is regarded as the undisputed “Master of Melancholy” on the audio-visual bootleg/mash up scene. A genius in his artform, he has featured on numerous compilations including ‘Summer of Love 2008’ and Café del Mash. He also recently collaborated on Billie Ray Martin’s Crackdown Project. It’s all steam ahead for this wannabe recluse, who “mixes emotion rather than beats”.

tell us a bit about what you’re doing with absolute and the Galway arts festival? ABSOLUT SUPERSTAR is inspired by Andy Warhol’s Screen Test Series and his notion that “everyone will be famous for fi fteen minutes.” Essentially, it’s a series of fi fteen second vignettes,’ condensed Superstars’ if you like. I will unleash a new Superstar clip online every day during the Galway Arts Festival. On the fi nal day, I will release the four-minute montage of the project.

How did it come about? What can we expect? This project is a collaboration between Phil RetroSpector, Absolut and the Galway Arts Festival. Expect to be inspired to unleash your inner Superstar.

You’re quite the enigma – do you fi nd it adds to your mystique? Absolutely. I am a reclusive fi gure and not your regular bootlegger. My core audience are bohemians and academics. But then again, when I cut up Philip Glass, Leonard Cohen and Charles Bukowski, what do I expect? Do you fi nd it hinders your success? Success is relative. However, within the last year my debut album, INTRO/VERSION, was voted Best Bootleg Album 2009. I offi cially remixed The Crackdown Project for Billie Ray Martin featuring Cabaret Voltaire, and Monkey Gone to Opera for The Young Punx. Oh yeah, and Moby spun my In This Twin Life at David Lynch’s wedding.

What are the challenges facing artists such as yourself? Aside from all the legal issues, I think the biggest challenge is how to remain original and one step ahead of the pack. Mash-up & Bootleg culture by its very nature is disposable. A lot of people deem it lo-brow, fail to see its relevance. This is our generation’s pop art. Now personally speaking, I have no interest in cutting up Lady Gaga with Nirvana, yet this is exactly the type of material I can access should I choose to blend them. If your music taste is a little more leftfi eld, you have to be a lot more creative about deconstructing source material.

How long have you been bootlegging for? I started bootlegging about two and a half years ago.

How did you get into it and how has it developed?It’s that same old story. Failed musician becomes DJ becomes bedroom producer…In about 2004, I became disillusioned with DJ’ing and dance music in general, so hung up my decks and retreated to the bedroom… I was listening to white labels from bootleg legend Mark Vidler (Go Home Productions, Addictive TV), who was cutting up The Doors with Blondie, & The Bunnymen with Abba and I thought wow, I could do that. Now at this point, and generally to this day, the culture is dance driven, and is all about giving an old song or hook a new twist. I decided early on that I wasn’t going to go down that route. I wanted to make music that sounded older than the originals, music with a cinematic edge and something that wasn’t all about the BPM‘s. I am a huge fan of the Wall of Sound and nostalgic to a fault. Hence, Phil RetroSpector was born…

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What’s processes do you go through from conception to the finished product? For me it’s all about mood. Music is arguably the most emotionally honest of the arts. I naturally gravitate towards something that’ll put a lump in my throat and constantly strive for anything that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I spend a lot of time sourcing material to sample. The same applies to working with vocals, sometimes the resources are there at your disposal, and otherwise it’s all about utilizing vocal isolation techniques. Thereafter, it’s about taking said elements onto a digital sound canvas and cutting & mixing them harmonically. For example, when I made Bluebird Blackout. I remember I was having a particularly bad week when I stumbled across Harry Dean Stanton’s reading of Charles Bukowski’ Bluebird. From the moment I heard it, I saw it as a sound painting. Bukowski’s poem resonates like a perpetual wound, tragic and lost, yet incredibly beautiful. It’s so textured. Muse’s Blackout provided the perfect backdrop, the way it illuminates, then waxes and wanes. I also knew I wanted to counterpoint this despair with the operatic textures of Delibes’ Lakmé, which signify the song of the bluebird. I especially like the Bob Dylan bit at the end, Man of Constant Sorrow mirrors both Stanton’s vocal geography and sentiment.

are the videos a by the way or are they an integral part of what you do? Video is very integral to my process; again it’s all about setting the mood. My background is in experimental film. I guess that’s why it’s a natural progression for me to visually edit my mixes. I work a lot with public domain archive, and visually sample from obscure/cult material. The visual strand to my work has opened a lot of doors for me in the scene, and facilitated me in reaching a wider audience. This is the YouTube Generation after all.

do you have a regular job or is this a full-time gig? I’m a bedroom producer and part-time genius, twenty-four-seven.

ones to watch on the underground irish music scene? B-Movie Lightning, the new project from Mike Smalle, formerly of Cane 141, the most modest man in music.

Where do you see your art form going, in general and your work specifically? Mash/Bootleg will wax, wane, mutate and then reinvent itself with yet another moniker. Like anything, it’s about knowing when to get off. Right now, I’m working on a follow up bootleg album to INTRO/VERSION. I’m also working on some original audio visual installations, which I hope to exhibit by the end of 2010.

Where can we view your work online?http://bootlegsmade4walking.com/http://www.myspace.com/philretrospectorhttp://twitter.com/philretrospectohttp://www.youtube.com/user/PhilRetroSpector

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10 Fun FAcTs AbouT GAF

Andy Warhol sometimes wore Absolut vodka as a perfume2

The Matisse exhibition features “cut ups” as Matisse could not paint at the time because of arthritis in his hands

5Badly Drawn Boy composed the soundtrack to ‘About a Boy’

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Andrew Dawson in Space Panorama recreates the moon landing using just his hands

1Martin Ware of Heaven 17 was in the Human League

Teenage Fanclub are “the second best band in the World” according to Noel Gallagher of oasis4500 artists will take part in

Galway Arts festival 2010

8It takes 50 trucks of equipment to set up Galway Arts Festival3

GAF 2009 was worth €19.4 million to the local economy

7Spike Jonze directed ‘Being John Malkovich’

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10

“You're playing God really, aren't you? You have the power of life and death over your characters.”

ian rankin

What’s your life like right now?Life right now is hectic, as ever. I’m supposed to be ‘on sabbatical’ this year - ie, not writing a book. I thought this would mean putting my feet up, but I seem to be as busy as ever - more so, in fact. When I’m writing a book, it’s the perfect excuse not to do anything else. When I’m not writing, I seem to say yes to a lot more people, so I’m writing introductions for other people’s books, or looking at screenplays, or judging literary prizes, or appearing at lots of festivals. Fun, but not exactly relaxing.

What do you like most about edinburgh?I like that Edinburgh is a city the size of a large town (500,000 residents), feels like a village but has all the amenities of a city. It’s also very green - lots of parkland and hills to climb. And it is filled with stories just waiting to be told.

What do you enjoy doing most?I really like going to the pub, either on my own (with the newspaper or a book) or with mates on a Friday night. I hear stories and jokes, feel ‘connected’ to the city, and catch up on all the local news and gossip.

your favourite book?My favourite book - ach, that’s a really tough one. Depends on my mood, et cetera. ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ by Muriel Spark would come close. But when I was on Desert Island Discs a few years back, I chose ‘A Dance to the Music of Time’ by Anthony Powell. Spark’s tome is a bit too short to last me on that island.

your favourite book written by you?My favourite of my own - ‘Black and Blue’ was the first book I felt really happy with. It also won me some prizes and proved to my publishers that they should stop considering dropping me. Of more recent books, ‘The Naming of the Dead’... because I found a way of making George W Bush fall off his bicycle at the G8.

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Five minutes with the UK’s number one best-selling crime writer

How easy/difficult is it for you to write a book?I find it hard to get a good, original idea. Usually what I’m looking for is a theme I want to explore, a question (about the world) that needs answering for my own satisfaction. I then find a plot that will allow me to do this. That takes time and effort. The writing itself is usually not such a chore. If I get blocked, I talk it over with my wife. She usually has an idea of where the story should go next.

is it something you enjoy or something you feel the need to do? I’m trying to have this year off, but halfway through I’m itching to get writing. There’s something cathartic about writing a novel, and you’re playing God really, aren’t you? You have the power of life and death over your characters. You control their destinies. I find that therapeutic when there’s so much in the real world that lies out with my control.

anything else in the pipeline?I just finished writing a short story. It’s actually an idea for a short film (maybe 10 or 15 minutes), but to make sure the story works, I tried it as a short story first. I’m also waiting to see if my first-choice director likes the script I’ve done for a 2-hour film version of a 19th Century Scottish ‘horror’ novel, ‘Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner’ by James Hogg. That was supposed to be done and dusted last year, but the wheels grind mighty slow in the film industry.

What music are you listening to at the moment?Right now I’m listening to a bit of jazz (Keith Jarrett’s latest album), and some new Scottish bands such as Errors, Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit, Meursault. Plus old favourites such as John Mayall, the Stones, John Martyn. I probably buy half a dozen albums a week.

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Alice Maher europa

Lynne O Loughlin flock

‘did you knoW?’SoMe intereStinG BitS aBout tHiS year’S viSual artiStS

Spike JonzeSpike Jonze is a wildly creative and eccentric photographer, music-video and commercial director, and more-than-occasional prankster. madeacting debut as a redneck soldier in Three Kings and directed his first feature film, the buzzed-about Being John Malkovich. Spike Jonze real name is Adam Spiegel heir to the $3-billion-a-year Spiegel catalogue business and is married to Hollywood hipster princess Sofia Coppola. Tom Waits played during their wedding ceremony.In 1994 he directed the video for the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” a gritty, winking homage to seventies cop dramas like Starsky and Hutch. He also directed the video for Björk’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” in 1995 and Fat Buy Slims “Praise You” won him many awards.“Spike Jonze” wasn’t just a nickname -- it was an entire persona. “It was a legendary shop, and Spike was its ambassador,” says Andy Jenkins, then the editor-in-chief of the BMX magazine Freestylin’. When professional riders from out of town would visit the shop, “Spike would show up at the airport to pick them up in a little chauffeur uniform.” Sometimes Jonze would even elaborate on the shtick, telling hayseeds from the Midwest that his father, the real chauffeur, was gravely ill, and he was supporting the family by driving customers illegally.Jonze has jumped from BMX biking to alternative rock to independent film, he also photographed bikers and skateboarders for Freestylin’ and Trans World Skateboarding magazines. Jonze’s first foray into video was Video Days, a twenty-minute-long tape of a skateboarding team named Blind doing tricks in various suburban settings.

Graphic Studio2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Graphic Studio Dublin. To celebrate this golden anniversary studio members have contributed work based on the theme ‘Gold’. Its first studio was opened in a small basement in Upper Mount Street. In 1983 the Studio workshop moved to a much larger premises in the Docklands at Green Street East. The studios moved once again in 2007 to a stunning converted granary building in Dublin 1. Since the studio’s beginnings in 1960, the awareness of printmaking has grown in Ireland, as has its importance as an artistic media through studio and gallery initiatives such as education and travelling exhibitions.

engage StudiosEngage Art Studios is an artist-run studio space in Galway City Centre. Now in its sixth year, Engage supports contemporary artists in a professional environment. The unique studio space is on the top floors of the old Cathedral Building on the corner of Middle and Abbeygate Streets. There are 13 private studios and a fully equipped office and design suite.

alice MaherAlice Maher was educated at the University of Limerick and Crawford College of Art Cork. She was awarded a Masters degree in Fine Art from the University of Ulster and shortly after a Fulbright Scholarship to San Francisco Art Institute. Her work involves many different media including painting, drawing, sculpture, print, photography and installation. She has exhibited widely in Ireland, England and the US, and represented Ireland in the 22nd São Paolo Bienal. She lives and works in Ireland.

Bill violaBorn in 1951, Bill grew up in both Queens and Westbury New York and received his BFA in experimental studios from Syracuse University in 1973. After graduating he worked in Florence as Technical Director of Production at art/tapes/22, one of the first video art studios in Europe. He later travelled to record traditional performing arts in the Solomon Islands, Java, Bali, and Japan. In 1977, Viola was invited by cultural arts director Kira Perov to show his videos at La Trobe University in Australia. A year later, Perov moved to New York, where she and Viola married. They have lived and worked together ever since. In 1980, they lived in Japan as part of a cultural exchange where they studied Buddhism under Zen Master Daien Tanaka. His work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery in London, Guggenheim Berlin, Guggenheim New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Getty Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He currently lives and work in Long Beach, California.

lynne o loughlinA graduate of GMIT, Lynne works at Lorg Printmakers in Ballybane. As a printmaker she blends the younger digital arts with traditional methods of printmaking. Virtual Eden is a result of this notion to keep traditional methods such as etching relevant to her practice as a visual artist while also engaging with different digital media.

Bill Viola Angel’s Gate

Graphic Studio | Geraldine O’Reilly Sunrise over Oxley’s Field

Brian Bourke Don Quixote’s Penance

‘did you knoW?’SoMe intereStinG BitS aBout tHiS year’S viSual artiStS

Brian BourkeBorn in 1936 in Dublin, Brian studied art in National College of Art and Design and then to St Martins in London. He represented Ireland at the Paris Biennel and the Lugano Exhibition of Graphics, both in 1965. He won the Arts Council portrait competition in 1965, the Munster and Leinster Bank competition in 1966, and first prize in the Irish Exhibition of Living Art competition in 1967. In 1985, he was named Sunday Independent Artist of the Year and he received the O’Malley Award from the Irish-American Cultural Institute in 1993. His work has been exhibited across Europe and the US. He lives in Co Galway.

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the Wild Hunt

the last gasp, excitement and danger,a super abundance of energy,

the Wild Hunt

bullfighting in the afternoon, circus of invention,Suspended in the parade,

the Wild Hunt

the body electric, the invisible acrobat,otto dix comes to town,

the Wild Hunt is savage joy.

July 18

MaCnaS

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eatinGRestaurants are plentiful, with genuinely

good quality food and an ambience that can’t be beaten. All of the restaurants down Quay Street are perfectly placed if you don’t fancy leaving the ‘it’ spot. Try Martines for great steak and wine, druid lane for some tasty nibbles, Magnetti’s for homemade delicious pasta, and Gemelles for some slightly more sophisticated dining.

artisan about tigh neachtains is one of the favourites in Galway with a great French menu and one of the most charming locations in the city. nimmos and ard Bia at the Spanish Arch is a must visit. It’s won heaps of awards, tons of Bridgestone recommendations and the food is to die for. Located on the banks of the river, it’s one of those places you won’t want to leave.

Around the corner from Tigh Neachtains, you have da tang noodle house – the very very best homemade noodles we’ve ever tasted. It’s reasonable, you won’t taste anything like it in the city – a little gem.

Pop across the road to Milanos if you fancy a quick and easy bite. This is one of the most popular pop in and out restaurants in the city. You might have to wait ten minutes or so for a table, but it’s always worth it.

Just across the road you have one of the more well-established restaurants in the city, the Malt House. Tucked away in a charming little cobblestone laneway, the Malt House serves local, fresh delicious, honest to God food.

vina Mara, a restaurant of great reputation. There’s some extra good deals going on at the moment that you won’t want to miss out on.

We can’t mention them all, but one definitely worth a special mention is Cava on Dominick Street down to the West End. Scrumptious Spanish tapas in a meditteranean setting, this restaurant is always full, so booking might be an idea.

There’s lots to do while you’re here, but here’s a few of the locals unbiased recommendations of where to eat and drink.

HOTSPOTS

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drinkinGtigh neachtains is a no brainer if you want to

be right in the middle of all the festival mayhem. It’s the main meet-up for most festival goers, and has one of the best people spotting areas outside where you can sip on your pint to your hearts content and watch the world go by.the festival Clubhouse is another hotspot if

you’re lucky enough to bag some tickets. This is where it all happens after the gigs, although we probably shouldn’t be telling you this.

the festival Big top is where all of Galway gathers whether they’re an arts fest head or not. Fun and frolics for all, this massive tent is home to some of the best craic you’ll have all year.

Anywhere down Quay Street is your best bet to soak in the atmosphere. An open air party for the duration of the festival, just pick a seat outside and don’t even think of trying to leave, it’ll be snatched up within seconds.

The West end of Galway city is probably the local’s best kept secret. The streets darken and the atmosphere drops as the cool of Galway set about partying the night away. An old favourite, the Blue note or Massimo’s for great DJ gigs, or Roisins for some of the Arts fest music gigs – this is where to head to if you fancy some slightly more laid back partying.

Head to the Crane down this side of town for some real traditional Irish craic. Be warned…when a singer or musician takes to the stage, don’t dare to talk – this is serious business.

Failte Ireland

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AD

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“a wonderful and original story.”

NUI Galway from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 July.

entertaining the family...

tHe MaGnifiCent Mind of daiSy dunne

BeHind tHe SCeneS…a tyPiCal dayThirty-year-old Rob Usher is Assistant Production Manager with the Festival

“I get up around 8am most days, but earlier if we have any production equipment loading in. I either drive when I know I need my car, but try to cycle in as often as I can. It’s much easier to get around Galway on a bike, especially during busy times!

As Assistant Production Manager, I do a bit of everything really. At the moment, I’m arranging the Big Top site equipment, trackway, forklift, toilets, marquees and the like, while organising the crew calls for various venues.

There’s four of us on the production team - Marie Breen, Adam Fitzsimons and Aisling O Sullivan, but we all work together liaising with all departments of the festival. It’s a pretty small team for such a big festival.

These days are seriously busy; lunch is generally out of the question; I usually grab something quickly when I can. All will be good though if Adam keeps supplying us with his top quality breakfast smoothies.

The hours I work change daily, especially when production begins to load into each venue be it gallery, museum, theatre, Big Top or on the street. Then you more or less need to be around when anything needs to be done. My biggest issue at the moment is not having enough hours in the day, but I love this time of the year – there’s so much going on and there’s such a great buzz around the city.

Being part of this festival is simply brilliant, especially when you get a second to stand back from it all and take it all in. You really get to see how much work the team has done in a relatively short space of time. It’s also great to see people’s reactions to all the various events. Standing at the back of the Big Top during a gig is fantastic. You get such a feeling of satisfaction to see so many people enjoying themselves.”

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GalWay artS feStival ProGraMMe liSt

tHeatre dateS (July)

dateS (July)MuSiC

aftermath Hofesh Shechter uncle vanyathe Quarelanddruid’s Penelopethe Corn exchange freefallCitizenshiptusk tusk electric Bridget the Grippe GirlsÉistigí Caithfear Éisteachtoxford Playhouse one Small Stepandrew dawson’s Space Panoramadaisy dunne’s Cups and Crowns

20 - 25 20 - 24 13 - 17 12 - 17 19 - 2412 - 17 19 - 2412 - 1712 - 17 19 - 2412 - 17 19 - 2412 - 17 19 - 2419 - 2513 - 1622 - 2413 - 17

rodrigo y Gabrielathe Human league & Heaven 17Brad Mehldauendellion String QuartetJosh ritter & the royal City Bandthe divine Comedyteenage fanclubComtempo Quartet & Chen Zimbalistairish Chamber orchestraMichael Mcgoldrick Big Bandalan kelly Quartet & eddi readeradrian CrowleyfredBreakestra & Chali 2natrad lunchtimesyurodnyangus & Julia Stoneari HestClo iar Chonnacht

202412222315222414172419171315 - 17 21 - 24 15121621

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