Boatbuilder sails into uncharted artistic waters

Patrick Connolly is skilled at building seacraft, rather than rainproof sculptures. However, the Inverin boatbuilder’s accidental encounter with artist Gareth Kennedy may require a revision of his CV.

A "meitheal" with Kennedy and a men's shed group has resulted in Fan Nóiméad, a 3m x 4m "pavilion", installed this week as a public art commission in Headford, Co Galway.

The commission by Galway County Council aimed to build "something useful", rather than decorative, and to nurture a "sense of social ritual and focus" in its creation, according to the artist.

A group of 10 from the Headford Men’s Shed group, with diverse backgrounds and skills, volunteered for the project, led by Kennedy and Connolly.

"I had been working on a canvas currach, and that's when Gareth walked in," Connolly says. The currach, named Eva of the Nation after a Headford-born literary and political figure, Mary Ann Kelly, was part of an adult educational initiative. It was almost complete when boatbuilder and artist struck up a conversation.

“I have experience with carvel-built boats such as Galway hookers, and Gareth thought it might work to apply some of these techniques to a sort of upturned hull,” he says.

Hookers are renowned for the distinct “tumblehome” curve, but the duo didn’t go that far with this construction.

“We applied the same framework and planking techniques, as if we were building a cross section at midships,” Connolly says. The oak and larch for the build was all native, and had been felled during the year.

Paul Burton, originally from Dublin and now retired and living in Headford, was one of the men’s shed participants.

He recalled how many evenings were spent in Monaghan’s garage in the town, creating the “upturned boat”.

“Sometimes it was just two to three hours a week, but we put in a lot of effort to finish it off.”

Handcrafting society

Kennedy, who has exhibited nationally and internationally, is from Oranmore, Co Galway. He and artist Sarah Browne represented

Ireland

at the 53rd Venice Biennale in 2009.

He has a particular interest in exploring what he terms “the social agency of the handcrafted in the 21st century”, generating “communities of interest” around “production and performance of new material cultures”.

“Outcomes typically include architectural or designed structures, handcrafted objects, as well as live performative events which bring these physical entities to life within specific public contexts,” he says.

Examples of this include co-organising a Super8 film festival on the Aran Islands and creating an "invented tradition" for the east Kerry village of Gneeveguilla as a per cent for public art commission for Kerry County Council.

A public art work he was involved with in St Petersburg, Russia, forms part of an exhibition of his work which opened last night in the Galway Arts Centre.

Folk fiction

Entitled

Invented Tradition

, the exhibition takes three select projects of his over the past two years – a documentary on building the Headford pavilion, a “folk fiction” record of an encampment in Killarney National Park, and a film of the “last wooden house” in the Kupchino suburb of St Petersburg.

Post Colony, made with a 16mm Bolex film camera, explores the "natural, industrial and colonial" histories of Killarney National Park. In May and June last year, one of Kennedy's "communities of interest" was led by fifth generation woodwright Eoin Donnelly, who set up a woodworking and charcoal burner encampment by the ruin of the Victorian Glena cottage in the park.

The project also involves photographs by Brian Cregan, charcoal drawings and handmade objects.

The artist's Fan Nóiméad or "wait a minute" pavilion has recently been installed at Moyne Villa community amenity area, which includes sports facilities, in Headford. "It's already serving a purpose, as runners can stop and take a breather," Connolly says. "And thankfully, it is keeping out the rain!"

Invented Tradition at Galway Arts Centre, Dominick Street, Galway runs until February 7th