<strong>Midl<strong>and</strong></strong> <strong>Arts</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | WINTER 2010/2011Production-wise, we were fortunateto have a great cinematographer,Mark McCauley, who captured themost beautiful <strong>and</strong> ethereal imagerywith the latest RED One CameraTechnology, Dave McCune, whocomposed an original score for thefilm <strong>and</strong> the many others whovolunteered to work on it. Of course,my family, by default, made up half ofthe production crew. Thank God theirbel<strong>ie</strong>f in me is as strong as my bel<strong>ie</strong>fin the script. Without that, therewould be no film.“Each morningwhen I open myeyes I say tomyself: ‘I, notevents, have thepower to makeme happy orunhappy today.”Critical acclaim has been huge.I underst<strong>and</strong> The Moment has beenscreening all around the world.We only sent out this film into theworld recently but I’m shocked athow well it’s being received when youconsider the subject matter.It’s barely out the door yet it hasalready screened at Film Festivals inOffaly, Dublin, Monaghan, Derry, NewYork <strong>and</strong> South Africa where we wonthe Best International Short Film award<strong>and</strong> took Second Place in Clones.These are festivals I could have onlyimagined having our film shown, soit’s been a dream come true.Were you surprised at the successof film?I was <strong>and</strong> continue to be, but thefeedback from aud<strong>ie</strong>nces <strong>and</strong>judging panels have been great.I think it’s difficult to gaugesuccess in this industry thoughbecause, just like the music industry,there’s a lot of politics involved <strong>and</strong>the best films are not always theones that come away with the awards.I think what we ach<strong>ie</strong>ved frompractically a zero budget <strong>and</strong> a skeletoncrew, compared to films being fundedup to €100,000, can be regarded asa success so in that respect, I’m overthe moon with what we have ach<strong>ie</strong>ved.I think at this stage, I could bedangerous with a budget that big.Actually, come to think of it, ourgovernment could be dangerous witha budget that big!Does your work have recurringthemes etc?Yes. Everything I do comes fromthe heart. That’s what all my workhas in common. I’m still relativelynew to the filmmaking business, butI love what I do <strong>and</strong> would neverconsider it work. As long as I feel thatway, I will continue to do it. I also feelthat anyone who works or expressesthemselves through different forms ofmedia have a certain moral responsibilityso I like to instill a positive messagehere <strong>and</strong> there in the hope that I mayin some way, have a positiveinfluence on other peoples lives.You seem very positive – how do youstay so positive?Well without sounding too cheesy,I’m blessed with a loving family. Duringan uncertain period of my life, I alsodiscovered a deeper level of love formyself <strong>and</strong> now feel that I shouldnever hold myself in any less regard.As a result of that, I can live my lifewithout fear of a future that does notyet exist. Or as Groucho Marx mightsay: “Each morning when I open myeyes I say to myself: ‘I, not events,have the power to make me happy orunhappy today. I can choose which itshall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrowhasn't arrived yet. I have just one day,today, <strong>and</strong> I'm going to be happy in it’.”For further information aboutPaddy or his company SAD MantraProductions seewww.paddyslattery.com MPADDY’SCV IN BRIEFOccupation:Filmmaking: Writer/Director/ProducerMusic:Producer/Singer/Songwriter(www.myspace.com/paddyslatterymusic)Other:Lecturer/Life-coach (Mental Health &Well-being, Road Safety, Disability Awareness,Film, Music)Work to date:Writer/Co-Producer/Performer:Album of original music St<strong>and</strong> &Deliver (2006)Writer/Director:Music video for Head Over Heels (2007)Writer/Director/Producer:Two act stage play Good Heavens (2008)Debut short film Out of Tune (2009)Short film The Moment (2010)Writer/Producer:Short film The Boy, Who Flew!(2009 Shortlisted Clones Film Festival)Director/Producer:Short documentary My Life, with Mein it! (2010 post-production)Writer:Feature length screenplay The BrokenLaw of Attraction (In development)Feature length screenplay In Vision(In development)Director/Producer:TV ser<strong>ie</strong>s The Art Factor(2010 Pre-production)Awards:The MomentWinner of Best International ShortFilm 2010 in South AfricaSecond Place <strong>and</strong> HonourableMention at Clones Film Festival2010Official Selection at nineInternational film festivals so farThe Boy Who Flew:Shortlisted for Scanbitz Award,Franc<strong>ie</strong> Award, Aud<strong>ie</strong>nce Award2009Out of Tune:Selected from 250 Irish Short Filmsto screen for Launch of UCTV 2009Other Hobb<strong>ie</strong>s & Interests:Cinema, astrology, astronomy,meditation, art, poker, conversation,travel, nature, poetry, food, living...18
THE EXQUISITE COLAB – FOUR WESTMEATHARTISTS OPERATING AS A COLLECTIVE FORTHE PURPOSE OF COLLABORATION – HAVEUNDERTAKEN THE EveryonE PROJECT, ANINTERACTION BETWEEN THE COLAB, THEGRANGE WOMEN’S TRAVELLERS GROUPAND INDIVIDUALS FROM THE MULLINGARTRAVELLING COMMUNITY.ABOVE Paul Roy (Tyrellspass), Ann Wingf<strong>ie</strong>ld(Moate) <strong>and</strong> Celine Sheridan (Mullingar)presenting their exhibition in the Market House,Mullingar during Westmeath <strong>Culture</strong> Night.Missing from pic is Lesley Wingf<strong>ie</strong>ld.A LOOK AT COLABEveryonE brings artists <strong>and</strong> TravellingCommunity together in book with a differenceTHE EVERYONE Project embraces memory,reflection <strong>and</strong> inclusion examining theindividual exper<strong>ie</strong>nce of each contributor butin a manner that makes the collectiveexper<strong>ie</strong>nce <strong>and</strong> recollection a singular whole– in other words a collaborativedocumentation of how exper<strong>ie</strong>nce createsidentity within a soc<strong>ie</strong>ty. In essence, itsuggests that while everyone – fromwhatever social background – has theirown individual exper<strong>ie</strong>nces that ultimatelywe all share similar exper<strong>ie</strong>nces.As a result, the project it is not adocument about the relative differencesbetween the individuals on a social basisbut rather about inclusiveness <strong>and</strong> the ideathat ultimately everything that everyoneexper<strong>ie</strong>nces, the individual nuances of dailylife <strong>and</strong> the memor<strong>ie</strong>s that reflect theformation of the personality, are allcommon across the spectrum of soc<strong>ie</strong>ty.In other words, while superficially theymay appear to have an obvious socialrelevance in terms of identifying the statusof the individual, the reality is that in relationto the overall formation of the person themajority of exper<strong>ie</strong>nces are relatively similar.To this end EveryonE is intended aspure collaboration, where all contributionsbecome part of the overall project identity;where all recollection <strong>and</strong> reflection areequally valid. The artists react to their ownexper<strong>ie</strong>nce, to the exper<strong>ie</strong>nce of thecollaborators, to moments of interaction<strong>and</strong> thus observation is framed, (like theportraiture photographs within as snippetsof existence in a modern soc<strong>ie</strong>ty).EveryonE, in its literal sense, is aboutEveryone – while the backgrounds, thelives of all the collaborators diverge,exper<strong>ie</strong>nces overlap, the attitudes toprogress the aspirations intertwine, <strong>and</strong>desire for the identity of the single ego is asimportant as the collective identity of thewhole.All of these exper<strong>ie</strong>nces, reactions,memor<strong>ie</strong>s <strong>and</strong> observations have beengathered by the four CoLab artists into abook, a book not just of words <strong>and</strong> opinioncorralled into paragraphs, but of the wispsof memory <strong>and</strong> threads of life, the h<strong>and</strong>wroughtwords of a poet or the honest voiceof the matriarch, the measured drawing, thecasual sketch, prints, photographs, tinyartifacts of each life which have beenmolded into a single, significant book.The CoLab gathered these individualp<strong>ie</strong>ces together over several months fromthe artists of the CoLab in meetings,conversations <strong>and</strong> workshops with thewomen from the Grange <strong>and</strong> members ofthe wider travelling community, as well asindividual <strong>and</strong> collective works.It is a snapshot of people withoutjudgment <strong>and</strong> an artwork in book form,hardbound, elegant <strong>and</strong> honest.For further information seewww.facebook.com/exquistitecolab MA HEALTHY INTEREST IN ARTANAM Beo is a Charitable Company run byartists, providing participant led creativeworkshops in the health sector thatempower people <strong>and</strong> encourage them tobecome involved in creativity. The artisticaspirations <strong>and</strong> ach<strong>ie</strong>vements of Anam Beoparticipants through the organisation’s Artin Health project are a valued <strong>and</strong> visiblepart of Offaly.Anam Beo endeavours to raise theprofile of its participants <strong>and</strong> to increaseopportunit<strong>ie</strong>s for aud<strong>ie</strong>nces to exper<strong>ie</strong>ncetheir artwork.It is through a ‘h<strong>and</strong>s on’ approach thatAnam Beo creates access to the <strong>Arts</strong> withinthe community <strong>and</strong> presently Anam Beoworks with four day care centres where it isobvious that this continuous art interventionhas resulted in participants demonstratingnotable increases in confidence, mobility<strong>and</strong> wellbeing.Anam Beo is keen to develop further,network <strong>and</strong> engage with more participants,reaching out to develop new partnerships<strong>and</strong> sponsorship for care settings.The Fall of the LeafAT THE beginning of 2010 Anam Beoreceived The <strong>Arts</strong> Council CommissionsAward to place artist Michael Fortune, aprocess led film artist, within the Anam Beofacilitator’s community.Within each centre Michael provided theAnam Beo facilitators <strong>and</strong> the centres’participants with creative short film/animationworkshops <strong>and</strong> much to the delight of theparticipants the centres have also createdshort films of their own.Alongside demonstrating his previouswork he guided Anam Beo with the launch ofthe website www.anambeo.com.During his time in Offaly Michael createdhis own p<strong>ie</strong>ce of film work The Fall of theLeaf that is part of a collection.Both this film <strong>and</strong> the Anam Beo websitewas launched last May in Birr Theatre <strong>and</strong><strong>Arts</strong> Centre <strong>and</strong> was then shown duringBealtaine in Offaly Librar<strong>ie</strong>s County wide.Michael’s film work focuses on recordingcustoms, superstitions <strong>and</strong> bel<strong>ie</strong>fs throughoutCounty Offaly with video footage recordedbeing produced into a collection of folklore.Recorded in HSE care centres in Clara,Tullamore, Birr, Edenderry <strong>and</strong> the IWA inBallinagar between January <strong>and</strong> April thisyear, the 25 minute film features recordingsof various people speaking about bel<strong>ie</strong>fs<strong>and</strong> superstitions which range from walkingin the May dew to not throwing out asheson a Monday.Although the film draws attention tomany bel<strong>ie</strong>fs, which are slowly disappearing,the work does not attempt to servicenostalgia; instead, Fortune sees the workas much a celebration of the people relatingthe accounts, as it is the stor<strong>ie</strong>s beingrelayed. The use of the film helps furtherbring the stor<strong>ie</strong>s to life as the accent <strong>and</strong>manners of the people recorded play asmuch an important role as the story theyare telling.About the film-makerFORTUNE grew up in a family immersedin story, superstition <strong>and</strong> bel<strong>ie</strong>f on the coastof Wexford <strong>and</strong> this subject has proved toON CAMERA: Kate Daly <strong>and</strong> PeggyNagle from the IWA being interv<strong>ie</strong>wedfor the Fall of the Leaf.be a rich feeding ground for his work formany years.He has produced many folklorecollections on film throughout Irel<strong>and</strong> in thepast 10 years <strong>and</strong> these collections arehoused in various public <strong>and</strong> privatecollections nationally <strong>and</strong> internationally. Inrecent years he has presented these tovarious Folklore Departments including TheFolklore Departments of MemorialUniversity, Newfoundl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> UniversityCollege Cork.M19