WALKING/DRAWING
Exploring an Urban Environment
Draoicht Arts Centre, Blanchardstown, 8 – 12 July
Artists Kathy Herbert and Dorothy Smith
Forthcoming article by Vagabond Reviews vagabondreviews.org
Artists Kathy Herbert and Dorothy Smith will be creating a 7 metre long collaborative drawing in the Gallery in Draoicht from the 8 – 12 July. The Gallery will be open during this period and members of the pubic are welcome. The drawing will be based on alternative explorations of the planned space that is Blanchardstown Town Centre.
Walking will be the primary research tool. The artists anticipate that they will find themselves off the predictable paths and in situations that are different from those intended by the design of the Centre. Source material in the form of drawings, written notes and photographs will be collected on these walks. This material will inform the collaborative drawing.
Blanchardstown Town Centre is designed primarily for ease of parking and shopping. This project aims to expand this experience – seeing other than carparks and shops, doing other than shopping and driving, adding to the intended experience of the place. How easy is it to move from place to place, what will be found, what will the experience feel like, what else is there to be discovered that is generally overlooked or hidden?
Walking/Drawing is the current manifestation of Open to the Public. Open to the Public is a ongoing collaborative project which brings drawing out of the studio setting and creates situations where artist and members of the public can engage directly with each other and the act of drawing.
Workshops
As part of Walking/Drawing, Draoicht and the artists will facilitate two free workshops for the general public. These workshops aim to encourage people to draw and give participants an alternative experience of a familiar environment.
The artists will lead the participants on a short walk in the area and will encourage them to take time, stop and look, make notes, sketches and photographs of familiar yet often overlooked aspects of this space. This material will then be used to create drawings back in the gallery.
The workshops would suit students, amateur artists but no previous experience of art or drawing is needed to participate.
Workshop A(14 – 18 yrs), Wednesday 9th July, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Free.
Workshop B (Adults), Thursday 10th July, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. Free
Artists’ Talk
The artists will talk about the Open to the Public project, share their experience of working collaboratively and discuss their interest in this particular environment.
Saturday 12th July 3:00 pm