The Eco Showboat Comes to Carlow
Artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly are navigating Ireland’s inland waterways meeting local artists, scientists and communities to spark climate action.
Saturday 22nd July 2023 | 2.30pm - 5pm
Admission: Free
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Artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly are navigating Ireland’s inland waterways meeting local artists, scientists and communities to spark climate action. They are undertaking a zero carbon journey to the east - along the Shannon, Grand Canal and Barrow - from Askeaton on the Shannon’s Atlantic estuary to Howth Harbour on the Irish Sea…
Touring on the Mayfly, a small solar powered converted yacht, they will be at Carlow Town Park from Thursday 20th to Saturday 22nd July. On Saturday 22nd July at VISUAL there will be talks, food, music and workshops. Something for every age group!
2:30pm:
Talks
Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly talk with local eco-artists about their two year solar journey on the island’s waterways, show you their studies and observations of nature and tell of their encounters with artists, activists and scientists who explore with them the problems and promises of the freshwater environment.
3pm:
Saidhbhín Gibson will present an introduction to her piece 'Perpetual Glow', selected for this year's 'Artworks 2023 - Remembering the Future' exhibition in VISUAL. The piece was completed earlier this year and is shown alongside props featured in the video.
Saidhbhín will also outline her year-long project 'The Goodly Barrow', completed in 2021. The body of images she created focused on the more-than-human life along the River Barrow in counties Kildare, Carlow and Kilkenny. To view the project, visit @the_goodly_barrow on Instagram.
4pm:
Music and Food
Indian-Irish musical duo Anna Tanvir and Maninder Singh perform their own compositions and folk songs from around the world in many different languages. Their programme is a soul-stirring musical journey from India across Europe, to Ireland, praising the beauty of nature and the wonder of the natural world.
In honour of Carlow’s long association with sugar production, Maninder - a chef as well as a musician - invites you to sample some sweet culinary delights from both Indian and European confectionary traditions.
2.30pm - 4pm:
Workshops
MATERIAL MATTERS / ÁBHAR ÁBHAR is a collaborative project devised by three artists and educators, Clare Breen, Mary Conroy and Laura Ní Fhlaibhín. Their individual practices share the common denominator of sustainability and environmental awareness within the process of art production.
MEET THE INVERTEBRATES - Eco Showboat resident marine biologist Rachel O'Malley shows you some of the little creatures that live in our waterways, invertebrates that can tell us a lot about the quality of our water.
The Eco Showboat is an art project aimed at raising awareness of climate change, supported by the Arts Council, SFI Discover, Creative Ireland, Lawpro, Waterways Ireland and local authorities around the country.
For more information on The Eco Showboat see: