P08 →Cloudlands
Cloudlands was a three year arts and technology project designed for young people aged 12-18 who have to spend long periods of time in hospital, often in wards with much younger children and with little in the way of creative stimulation. Running between 2013-2015, artists in residence collaborate with teenagers over nine-month periods developing new artworks based on their ideas, interests and experiences. Cloudlands uses a purpose designed, online creative space where artists and teenagers can share their work and collaborate. The work resulted in two visual art exhibitions in 2013 & 2016 followed by a national tour.Artists In Residence:
Eszter Nemethi (Cork University Hospital),
Rachel Tynan (Temple Street Children’s Hospital) ,
Emma Fisher (Galway University Hospital)
Mentor: Mark Storor
Technology support: Mark Linane
Project Coordinator: Katy Fitzpatrick and Avril Carr
Project by Helium Arts
>>> to read a case study about the project CLICK
>>> to watch a panel discussion of ‘Beyond the Box’ CLICK
>>> to watch a panel discussion of ‘Cloudlands - tour’ CLICK
Islands
Islands are just a bunch of squiggly lines (2013)beyond the box, an exhibition of work by Cloudlands artists in residence Emma Fisher, Eszter Némethi and Rachel Tynan took place at Pallas Projects/Studios, Dublin, in November 2013. This exhibitionwas the materialisation of the journey taken on year one of Cloudlands in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway. beyond the box was inspired by the artists’ creative collaborations with teenagers over a nine-month period and the experience of being in residence in hospital. The title of the exhibition comes from the boxes that the artists used as a tool to initiate their creative process with each teen.
Islands are just a bunch of squiggly lines
an instruction based theatre piece and mixed-media art installation that guides its audience through a journey into an isolated space mapped, reimagined, animated and abandoned. Step inside a web of interwoven narratives, signs and symbols. Begin with an audio instruction, take the plunge and unlock the stories of an old woman and sad tornadoes.
Presented at:
Pallas Project/Studios, Dublin, 2013
“Invisible but much loved she was also the unlikely protagonist of many legends around the village. She was an odd one, she wasn’t from around there, she was wiser than most and she was a ghost. But an odd ghost, a ghost who never died.”
Artist Eszter Nemethi
Cloudlands Project Manager & Curator Katy Fitzpatrick
Mentor Mark Storor
Radio/Silence
Radio/Silence a radiogame (2016)
Radio is boring, but what if it could save your world?
Radio/Silence is a radio-game about the need to somehow be a hero even if you don’t feel like it. It is the Johnny and Pies Show and business as usual when a mysterious virus starts to sweep through the hospital. In what seems like the spread of nonsense, silence starts to take over the hospital. Reality and fiction become entwined. Even the radio starts to lose signal. Your phone and an unwilling superhero are the last hope to get back to reality. What will you do when you have the control? Are talking birds, the hand of doom, neverending jokes and teleportation a better alternative to reality? Be the hero of the story and decide (or not).
Presented at:
Cork Univeristy Hospital + CUH FM June 2015
Galway Galway Arts Centre 4 – 19 March 2016
Galway University Hospital 4 - 19 March 2016
Waterford Garter Lane Arts Centre 31 March – 9 April 2016 Waterford Regional Hospital 31 March – 9 April 2016
Cork The Atrium, Cork City Hall 22 – 28 April 2016
Cork University Hospital 22 April - 15 May 2016
Dublin ArtBox Gallery 19 May – 2 June 2016
Tallaght Hospital 19th May - 2nd June 2016
‘Radio/Silence’, developed by artist Eszter Némethi and teenagers in Cork University Hospital, is an interactive radio game that alters the hospital environment for the listener. Using mobile phones, listeners can help the characters save the world from an evil doctor intent on spreading silence. The piece toured to hospitals, galleries and radio stations across Ireland as part of the Cloudlands National Tour in 2016.
Radio/Silence (exceprt)
‘ It is a pleasure working with Eszter who is obviously passionate about her work. This is evident in how the patients respond to her. Teenagers in particular tend to become very bored while in hospital but working on the project gives them a focus and takes their minds off their condition/treatment. The teenage patients love working with Eszter and as one patient remarked "I love when Eszter is here, she is so cool!" ’ Anne Olney, Play Specialist at Cork University Hospital
‘ This radio play gives a voice to the many teens in hospital who are sharing similar experiences. This is the essence of the Cloudlands project: providing teens in hospital witha voice and a place to be, which is away from their illness.’ Helene Hugel, Artistic Director of Helium Arts
Concept Eszter Nemethi
Developed in collaboration with over 20 young people over a nine month period at Cork Univeristy Hospital's Paediatric Ward
Sound Design Carl Kennedy
Programming Sven Anderson
Cloudlands Project Manager Avril Carr
Cast Caoilian Sherlock, Aisling McCarthy, Aideen Wylde
for more about the project: www.helium.ie
More on the Cloudlands project:
http://www.helium.ie/tag/cloudlands/
and http://www.artsandhealth.ie/case-studies/cloudlands/
and for images of the work in the hospitals http://cloudlandsgallery.helium.ie/cloudlandsgallery/