The big egg hunt

Ayelet Lalor took part in a charity exhibition for the Jack and Jill Foundation, where one hundred artists were given a 2.5ft fibreglass egg to do with what they chose; paint, demolish, add to, sculpt, anything goes. Below is a description taken from the Jack and Jill Foundation website;

"From February until Easter, Dublin will be home to the biggest Easter egg hunt in the history of the state when over 100 fibre glass eggs will be secreted around the capital, each one decorated by well known artisans. Big artist names decorating the eggs include Guggi, Ayelet lalor and John Rocha. 

Eggs will go on display on Pancake Tuesday 12th February for 40 days and 40 nights across Dublin. The locations of the eggs will not be revealed, its up to you to find the two and half foot eggs. It’s a family affair. Get the family involved in the Egg Hunt, all they have to do is find twenty eggs , each egg has a code which you have to identify to enter the draw for a grand prize ( diamond pendant earrings for Mum, chocolate factory visit for kids, and a years supply of chocolate from Lily O’Briens) it’s fun and easy.

The eggs will then be auctioned for charity in aid of The Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation. The online auction will begin on 12th February culminating in a live auction at the Four Seasons Hotel on 23rd March. Anyone can buy them . The hand crafted eggs are destined to become highly collectible and valuable works of art."

Here is Ayelet to tell us more about how she created her egg!

Concept illustration for the egg design

"Initial illustration and  drawing to scale, then trying to figure out how the hell to get it onto the egg without getting myself caught up in tons of paper."

"Starting to block out the colours, then slowly paint up the texture and layers. God, there was a lot of surface area on that egg, it just went on and on."

"Getting closer, starting to look finished, thank God!"

It was a really fun project to be part of, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

 

For more information visit the Jack and Jill Foundation website and facebook page.

A Journey without a Destination

“It is good to have an end to journey towards;

but it is journey that matters in the end...”
author unknown

A journey without an destination is a joint exhibition by Philip Murphy and Mika (Marta Nowakowska-Bartosik) from the Misery Hill Gallery.

"This exhibition is a record of a beginning of a journey without a
destination .... instead of carefully planning a theme and working on it, we
decided to allow the work to evolve instinctively . The same when starting
a journey , if we give up the idea of reaching the destination we are able to
focus and to give full attention to everything around us. Such a journey can
be surprising and unpredictable, exactly how life is... too often we try to
make our work and journey linear, we want it to lead somewhere and we tend
to forget that diversions do much more than merely divert us. Anything we
experience , any person we meet, could change the direction of our journey
and can lead us to an unexpected place... if we are ready to follow ...we
decided to follow ,not to judge but rather to record what happened on the way
and share it with you ... not all of what we see is beautiful nor do we render
it beautifully, but we believe art is something more than only a decorative
painting to hang on the wall. We hope you will enjoy it anyway....

We have different background, culture,nationality, experiences but as artists
we share the same approach in making art, desire to push the boundaries, to
experiment, and serve rather our souls than egos. We try to shape and reshape
our personal experience and explore the territory of human emotions and
report perceptions that could seem unbearable to others.

As during the journey there are parts which are funny, playful and colourful
and other which are disturbing or turbulent, so they are in this exhibition. This
is a record of our shared sixth month journey ... to be continued. Thank you for
being part of it ..."

Exhibition runs from 7th December -21st December
Misery Hill gallery, Unit 66 , 6th Floor
Monday to Friday 11am- 5pm

 

Contact information:
Philip Murphy: 087 252 1227
Mika: 085 755 3644
email: philmiseryhill@gmail.com

The Olympic Torch passes through the Dublin docklands!

Athlete Mark Pollock carrying the Olympic torch on Macken Street

We're a little bit late posting this photo of athlete Mark Pollock who was one of the carriers of the Olympic torch on 6th June. The torch relay passed by The Design Tower during the Dublin torch relay.

Some of the Tower designers joined the crowds to cheer on blind athlete Mark Pollock as he passed by their studios on Macken Street. The torch was passed to Mark on Macken Street from footballer Paul McGrath. Dublin had forty torch bearers, including Jedward, Sonia O’Sullivan, Ronnie Delaney, Ruby Walsh, and Michael Carruth.

 

Bronze sculpture of Mark Pollock by Elizabeth O'Kane

Below is a feature taken from The Irish Times, 7 June 2012.

"BLIND ADVENTURE athlete Mark Pollock said he was “overwhelmed” by the number of people who turned out on the streets of Dublin yesterday to see the Olympic torch relay.

Pollock, who lost his sight in his early 20s and was paralysed from the waist down after a fall more than a decade later, was one of 41 torchbearers who carried the torch through the capital.

“I was overwhelmed by the amount of people who were out on the streets. It was a much bigger event than I thought it was going to be,” he said.

“It was a huge privilege to be associated with the Olympics in any small way.”

The Trinity graduate was speaking at an event held in Trinity College Dublin last night to honour students that took part in the Olympic Games over the past 100 years.

A total of 45 Trinity graduates have taken part in the Olympic Games since 1908 and many of the Trinity Olympians collected an award for their achievements.

Maeve Kyle, who graduated in 1950, became Ireland’s first triple Olympian for athletics at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964.

Mark Kenneally, TCD’s first London 2012 Olympic qualifier, was also selected as a torchbearer in yesterday’s leg of the relay.
“It was incredible. I didn’t expect as many people to be out and for it to be as big as it was,” he said. “There was just so many people around, it was an unbelievable experience.”

For more information about Mark Pollock, visit his website and blog.

The Design Tower Summer workshops

The popular Design Tower Summer Workshops will be held on Saturday June 9th and Saturday 16th 2012.

This is a chance to learn a new skill from practicing makers. The workshops take place in the individual studios of The Design Tower and are limited to between three and six students to allow for quality tuition and individual attention.

Students at an Ayelet Lalor ceramic workshop

 

Workshop courses include:

• Portrait Sculpture with Elizabeth O'Kane
• Leatherwork with Roisn Gartland
• Silversmithing with Seamus Gill
• Jewellery design and handskills with Da Capo goldsmiths
• Porcelain paperclay with Ayelet Lalor
• Design and Jewellery making with Breda Haugh
• Papermaking with Pat Mc Bride

Breda Haugh giving a soldering demonstration

For more information, have a look at the poster below or contact the individual designers via our Design Tower Website.

Elizabeth O'Kane

Elizabeth O'Kane will also be showing new work in the following exhibitions:

RHA Annual Exhibition, Ely Place, Dublin 2, from 28 May to 18 August.

Sculpture in Context, Botanic Gardens, Dublin, from 6th September to 19th October 2012.

Little League, Riverside Park, NYC, Watercolour

For more information on Elizabeth's work, visit her website.

Studio Visit - Alan Ardiff

The 'Studio Visits' are a monthly blog installment. We're opening our doors to introduce you to the artists and designers in The Design Tower! Each interview will give you an insight into the individual designer or business. This month we're chatting to jeweller and artist Alan Ardiff. 

How did you come to be a jeweller?
I am an accidental jeweller; having studied industrial design and failed, I fell into the craft department and it seemed a nice warm place to be. However I took to jewellery as I liked the scale of the design and it is nice to be in control of the translation of a design from beginning to end unlike some other media. I was also able to apply my industrial engineering ideas to jewellery design, using intricate processes and articulation to create pieces that are innovative in terms of their kinetic abilities.

 

Fisherman'sTails

Where did you train?
I attended the National College of Art and Design in Dublin. I have not had that highly refined classic training of a master goldsmith and I am first to admit that I really wouldn't have that level of discipline. My real training I would see as my work experience in Turin Italy and also with the renowned jeweller, Paul Preston. His work has been a great inspiration to me as he uses gold beautifully to create forms which tell wondrous stories.

Toast

Where is your studio?
I am split in two; I live and have a studio in the wilds of the west of Ireland where I can spend time to create without the distractions of business side of making the jewellery. I also have a studio in the Design Tower and I work with a great team of makers to make sure my jewellery can be appreciated by a wide spectrum of people.

What is the main inspiration for your designs?
I like my work to be a source of interaction between people, the wearer and admirer. This, I think I have achieved through creating work that has not really been done before, in that I incorporate moveable parts in my jewellery. My ongoing driver is to create work with a new dimension. I am very excited about a new piece called ‘Two for Joy’. It is yet again a development of the articulation I use in my work, in this piece 2 birds move independently.

Head Over Heels

What medium do you prefer to work with?
Gold. It does everything you want and is totally forgiving - it is beautifully luscious and steeped in history. I continue to be in awe of the gold collection in the National Museum of Ireland.

Do you have a favourite tool?
My little hammer - it was my first acquisition and reflects the miniature engineering elements of my work.

What are your goals?
To keep coming up with innovative pieces; I am very happy this year as I have plenty of new ideas but some years this can be a bit of a challenge!

No such thing as aliens

Do you give workshops?
Not on an on-going basis. I have been invited to give courses in design at my old college.

What has been your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement is having people who are fascinated with my work, I am humbled by their enthusiasm. From my beginnings at a work bench in my bedroom to a business with five employees has only been achievable through the tremendous support of my customers.

Star gazing

Where do you exhibit your work?
I largely distribute my work throughout Ireland however I would love it to be more accessible around the world. My website is ideal for people to access my work where there is not a local stockist. An email or call to the studio can take the stress out of making a long distance choice and we welcome people to our Dublin studio.

Thanks Alan! You can see more of Alan's work on his website or facebook page. This interview is part of a series called The Studio Visits.

Walk [Your City]

Sometimes people find it hard to locate us in The Design Tower! The idea of this Kickstarter project appeals and could be a great idea for Dublin city and the Docklands area in particular! What do you think? Would you appreciate walking signs that would help you to discover interesting things to see and do?