Image from Surfacing: Viscaux now running at X-PO.

Tues 22nd July at 8 pm

Michael Mc Caughan will talk about his his book, The Price of Our Souls: Gas Shell and Ireland which deals with the controversial Corrib Gas Project in North Mayo, where Shell is building a gas refinery and high pressure pipeline in a landscape of extraordinary natural beauty.

McCaughan has written extensively about local and global economic interests and is based in the Burren with extensive experience in Latin America.

X-PO, Kilnaboy Cross, Kilnaboy, Co Clare. Tel 065 6827940 xpo.kilnaboy@gmail.com

X-PO GOING LOCAL

The X-PO: GOING LOCAL At a meeting on June 29th at Kilnaboy NS Deirdre O’Mahony explained to the community that after almost a year of hard work renovating, equipping and developing the old Post Office in Kilnaboy as a public art space that her intention is now to step back from the project. Deirdre thanked everyone for the support given to X-PO and said that the project was now there for the community to develop and enjoy as both a community and cultural space. One of the main points raised was the intensive program of events and exhibitions organised and facilitated by Deirdre over the past eight months. All who had been involved in the various exhibitions curated at the X-PO expressed their thanks for the huge amount of work done but many were wary of taking over having seen what was involved. Deirdre pointed out that the X-PO was run in past year as a single artist project; the pace had been dictated by the durational nature of her proposal and also as a way of drawing in and engaging with the community. The numbers visiting and using X-PO have vindicated this approach, however the pace of events can now change and adapt to suit the future plans and needs of the community. Deirdre is at a point of completion with her PhD and will not be able to continue with the X-PO for the immediate future. Jim Maher agreed to make the X-PO available to the community for the further continuation of the project and Deirdre asked if people were willing to take over. The general consensus was that the project should be continued but the fear was that people already on many community committees would face ‘burn-out’ and find themselves jeopardising other projects by taking on more commitments. It was acknowledged that there is a need for new people to step forward and get involved in projects like the X-PO and that all members of the community, whether newcomers or long-standing residents would be welcomed and appreciated, regardless of prior experience. Deirdre envisaged, not a committee, but project teams, to care for the different aspects of the project: Mapping, Local History, Evening Classes, and Local Knowledge Archive have some representation and are planning on continuing their work. An administration team is required to take care of programming and the fundraising. The X-PO evaluator, Jay Koh, reminded the meeting that working as a community group opened up many avenues of funding. The Arts Council has already backed the project and shown great interest but areas such as Heritage, Tourism, Leader, VEC could also be approached. The curation of exhibitions could be in the hands of invited, funded Artists and Interns. Everyone agreed that the status attained by the X-PO with visits from the Arts Council, American Universities, RTE, Kilnaboy NS and the huge interest shown by local residents meant that the project had to be carried forward by the community. The call is out for members of the community to volunteer for the Project Teams being formed.

For Further information call 065 6827940 or email xpo.kilnaboy@gmail.com

Deirdre O'Mahony SURFACING: Viscaux 2004 - 2008

Kilnaboy Cross,
Kilnaboy, Co Clare
065 6837177
xpo.kilnaboy@gmail.com

DEIRDRE O'MAHONY

Surfacing: Viscaux 2004 - 2008

Launch Sunday 20th July at 12 noon

Exhibition runs from Sunday 20th July to Friday 29th August 2008

Opening Times: Monday to Friday: 2- 5pm, Sundays 2- 5pm.
Evenings: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 7 - 9pm

X-PO is a public art project that seeks to actively engage rural communities by giving time and space to review, recall and renew core community values and priorities.

Funded by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaionn and SuperValue.

Peter Rees: An Udder View

Peter Rees: John Collins and Michael Collins with Frank O'Grady back from the winterage 2000

Peter Rees The Legion of Mary Corofin 1998

Peter Rees: The Last Cattle Auction in Kilnaboy 2003

PETER REES

AN UDDER VIEW- DOCUMENTING A COMMUNITY
Kilnaboy 1983 -2008

May 20th to June 13th

If Kilnaboy man Peter Rees: full time truck driver, dedicated part time photographer, had a theme tune it would most certainly be Del Reeves classic, 'Looking at the world through a windshield'. For the past 30 years Peter has been photographing the leavings, returnings, christenings, weddings, communions, births, deaths and any and all other significant events in the parish, amassing a vast collection of pictures chronicling the ever changing ways and days of his friends and neighbours. His truck cab vantage point has given him a better than average point of view of the comings and goings in the community and his archiving nature has kept the evidence neat and accessible in a room full of photo albums.

The advent of Deirdre O'Mahony's Kilnaboy X-PO public arts project has allowed Peter the perfect opportunity to present his work in a dedicated exhibition. The X-PO project being all about rural community, its past, present and future. Peter's work is a perfect fit to follow the mappings and tracings, the videos, paintings and museum style exhibitions Deirdre has already curated for the X-PO. In what is surely a unique exposition of the lives, times and history of a rural parish Deirdre and Peter have spent months, evening by evening, trawling through thousands of pictures, selecting images year by year to make up his show.

For most of his truck driving years Peter Rees drove a creamery tanker famous for its 'Udder Cola' livery. His photographic exhibition, 'An Udder View' – your world, his vision.

Phil Gaston

X-PO is a public art project that seeks to actively engage

rural communities by giving space and time to review,

recall and renew core community values and priorities.