Changing Tracks

CHANGING TRACKS European Public Art Project SEMINAR - GMIT, Castlebar Co Mayo, Thursday 25^th and Friday 26^th September 2014

This seminar is aimed at artists, curators, arts professionals and organisations.   During Day 1 CHANGING TRACKS artists will discuss the process of creating the artworks, there will be an independent reflection on the project by Irish Times Art Critic Gemma Tipton, an artist’s case study on developing a career internationally and an open Q&A session with all speakers and project managers from the three regions.  The second day will include a tour of the artworks and finish with extremely useful and practical information and presentations from EU funding experts, with information and advice on accessing EU culture funding and how to write good applications.

Booking essential – further details and programme from Gaynor Seville Public Art Co-ordinator  gseville@mayococo.ie

This is a free event and all are welcome.

On July 12^th Senator Fiach Mac Conghail, Director of the Abbey Theatre officially launched CHANGING TRACKS, an outdoor temporary public art project taking place this summer in County Mayo, Northamptonshire and Catalonia as part of the European Union’s Culture Programme 2007 to 2013.  The launch was followed by a bus tour to a number of the artworks along the Greenway.    

Artists Aideen Barry (Ireland), Noah Rose ( UK) and Xevi Bayona (Catalonia)  have been busy working on their project over the last number of months, the culmination of which explores the shared economic and cultural heritage themes in relation to former railways in the Mayo, Northamptonshire & Catalonia. They have each created temporary art works to be situated on or adjacent to disused railway lines which are now all used as walking or cycle paths.

One of the main manifestations of Aideen Barry’s project will be a limited edition interactive publication which will be made available at specially selected locations along the Greenway. The publication draws inspiration from a 19th Century publication ”Hints for Lady Travelers” by Lillias Campbell Davidson which offers both useful and (now) ridiculous advice for the independent female traveler. Girls from the Sacred Heart School in Westport have worked with Aideen to create animations that will be accessed via QR codes available in the publication.

Aideen has also created amazing installations inside the old Water Tower at Mulranny and in a little folly building behind the old convent in Westport.  The inside of the buildings have been transformed to give a magical experience to people passing by on the Greenway.

Noah Rose’s artwork is a ‘Museum of Interconnected Events’.  The ‘museums’ are sculptural outdoor cabinets, clad in unusual materials sourced from the local environment.  The ’event cabinets’ contain a variety of artifacts, that including salvaged objects found locally, archival photographs and other documents relating to the impact of the railways on their surroundings, local legends or cultural traditions.  Noah has completed a large body of research in the three regions finding curious links between the countries that will be illustrated in the collections.

The Catalan artist and architect Xevi Bayona completed the first spectacular installation for Changing Tracks in Catalonia in May.  He is creating very different unique artworks for each country, working with existing structures, such as the Viaduct in Newport where he will create a large scale temporary sculpture. 

For more information about CHANGING TRACKS programme and events please go to www.changingtracks.eu . 

CHANGING TRACKS is a contemporary visual and digital art project consisting of new temporary outdoor artworks on walking and cycling routes that used to be railway lines, by three international artists, Aideen Barry(IRE) Xevi Bayona(CAT) and Noah Rose (UK).   The artworks respond to the former railway lines, their heritage and local environment, considering the railway’s original impact on the community and the environment and examining how the change of use has now impacted on local economies and lifestyles.

CHANGING TRACKS is a partnership project between Mayo County Council (IE) Northamptonshire County Council (UK), and Consortium Transversal, Cultural Activities Network from Catalonia (CAT) and is a recipient of funding from the EU Culture Programme 2007-2013.