Midland Arts and Culture Magazine - Register.ie

What fillsthe heart…?‘An rud a líonas an tsúil líonann sé ancroí. What fills the eye fills the heart.’ Itis some years since I wascommissioned to paint that Irish saying,now covered by a nice coat of whitepaint; indicative of the temporariness ofart. Dented ego aside, it was not greatart. I am convinced however that theway to accept ‘destruction’ ordissipation of something creative is toimagine it in a new configuration, or itsessence being regenerated;reincarnated.For instance, there is an energy changebetween the beginning and the end ofan exhibition. Pieces are collectedtogether, positions selected; the work ofa sole, or group of artists is displayedunder a title; a theme. The occasionmight be a festival, or the opportunity toexhibit within the white-walls of a publicedifice. For the selected parameters oftime the subtlest threads of livingenergy hold the vibration of theexhibition together. And then, it canseem to lose lustre. The energy shifts.I’ve wondered if it is due to familiarity; aceasing to notice any more, when thereis a formality of display. The pattern ofthe position of the images and artworkshas been sub-consciously memorisedand it is that which makes them pall inthe eyes of the beholders. As artists andgallery doyennes we prefer things neat28and orderly on our walls. The chaos ofthe creative studio and the seeking oforder in the process of setting up, atlast leads to relief when the final piecehas its position, in harmony with itstheme siblings. All is calm now; serene.But break those comfortable horizontalsand verticals and the brain gives a start,then the eyes notice.So, uncomfortable as the idea mightmake some of us feel, would all our artbecome more noticeable if we were tomake more informal displays:something that is ever-evolving andrepositioned, to lead the eye a chase.Oh dear, of course! That’s the art ofretail display, and we wouldn’t want tobe labelled as ‘commercial’ would we?The role of art and the artistWhat I’m struggling to write down isboth a philosophical and practicalviewpoint on whether as artists; wehave a moral obligation to make a lotmore of our art reach out. In otherwords, if by being separate, exclusive,minimal, precious, and elevated moreby words said and written about ourtalent amongst our peers than our nextdoor neighbours, are we in reality losingan opportunity to fill more eyes andtouch more hearts within a widerpublic? ‘They’ (within our communitiesfor whom art is something more to scoffat or to be timid of engaging with) won’tRosalind Fanning wonders what it isthat can really make art impact on thelives of those around it.go to see in our art in hallowed hallsand studios - that’s the stark reality -and therefore they won’t give a toss ifwe create even smaller art-islands, of‘excellence’. That road doesn’t helpcreate openness to or a familiarity withthe arts: if there is to be a Centre ofExcellence in the midlands, let ourcentral counties have that ‘excellence’all around.With excellent purposefulness, we couldmake art as ubiquitous as sport. Butwithin our regional centredness, and inthis time of doubt and worry and lack offunds, instead of ‘doing nowt, in doubt’,could we choose to try doing it all ways?Thus, be as excellent as often as wehave energy and occasion for, and atother times be quite content in beingaverage, or darn it – plain sloppy. Ourlaboured imperfections might besnatched up with joy and empathy. Inthese times when high-pricedexcellence doesn’t necessarily sell, andclearly, ‘commercial art’ with a bargainprice-tag more often does, it is asubjective arrogance to make thatdecision as to what should be seen bythe public, or not, and how often. Theart of our hands and their hands, needsto find a constant, not an occasionalpresence. Art needs to be subtly allaround, reachable and touchable andtalked about quite casually or intensely,or at times insultingly!It might also help our ownproductiveness, especially when we’restuck. Letting people witness that art isnot an easy process is also admittingthat as artists, we are evolving: there isnot by any means a blank page onemoment and a very good artwork acouple of hours later.Artists can change the mindsets of, ‘Ican’t do it’ to, ‘Oh look I’m doing it’. Aquick inhalation of art is simply fulfillingthe natural motivation to feel happy,within the process of creativity andobservation. We read that ten minutesof meditation de-stresses, and that tenminutes of aerobic walking reverses illhealth;so let’s offer ten minutes of art,in whatever changing way, on the mainstreets of our towns and villages.For art to work its magic, it has to beseen and experienced every day:something catching the eye on a trotpast a window. You have passed ittwenty-three times but suddenly yourattention is captured and on you go,thinking/smiling/puzzled and perhapsat peace.Now is the time to be a bit morerenegade. It’s not ‘a gallery’ or ‘atheatre’ into which people fear steppingin: it could be a kind of Souk; a tumblingand touchable, bargainable, riotousheap, with gems amongst theunpolished. Art-sharing could be atanother place too - creating temporarystudio spaces in unused buildingswhere there’s no great commitment to aregular presence but there is aconsistency of up-to-date informationabout the local arts scene, in full view.Artists could be working collaborativelywith local authorities and businesses.The more voluble and viewable thepresence of creativity is, is also ofproven benefit to commerce andtourism. We could move from ‘sitespecific art’ to site non-specific art-ing.We would commit to an interaction withmore people and create opportunitiesfor more people to experience and beparticipants in the start, the processand the finish of an artform and itsongoing dialogue.What has brought on these thoughts?Well, they throb around my head afterthe all-too-frequent experience of havingworked very hard on setting up anexhibition, only to have left no time formy own creative work, and close totears at the end when the few saleswere little above a tenner each - andthat to charity.Some of you may notice threads ofconversations we have all had, someothers will have confirmed the worth ofsuch ideas and some others will alreadyclearly see art as ‘the path’ to get thetowns revived. These ideas are not reallynew, nor fully thought out, nor is thisarticle perfectly formed or finished - youcan probably tell. But I’m letting go nowand wonder which way it will float. MRosalind lives in Birr and has beenrunning Tin Jug Studio since 2000.She isan occasional writer/designer/artist, etc