“Overseas visitors going to the Matisse exhibition have expressed surprise that it was free,” Crumlish said. There has also been positive feedback on “value for money” for last night’s triple bill of Josh Ritter (pictured), Cathy Davey and Damien Dempsey at the Festival Big Top at €36.50, and tonight’s double bill of the Human League and Heaven 17 for €38.50. The family ticket, at €26 for two adults and two children, has also “gone down well”, and a third of the programme is free.
The extensive visual arts dimension is sponsored by a vodka company – something that jars slightly with families – but the festival costs €2 million to run with €655,000 of this funded by the State. It has experienced a 10 per cent cut in the Arts Council grant and the Galway City Council grant is still “not known”.However, ticket prices raised mixed emotions. “Three shows, and €120 vanished!” said one unemployed graduate.
And one couldn't help but notice the several rows of empty seats midweek at New York Theatre Workshop's Aftermath, about the experiences of Iraqi refugees now living in Jordan – a show that would have surely sold out several years ago.
Former mayor and independent city councillor Catherine Connolly believes “ordinary people on the ground” just aren’t getting to events. “There is an onus of the arts festival to keep reviewing its purpose,” she said. “Access has to be uppermost in the board’s mind.” One arts practitioner suggested the cost of accommodating artists could be curtailed, with savings passed on. “Why not buy accommodation which can be used for rolling arts events?” she asked.
With Minister for Tourism Mary Hanafin holding discussions this week on the fate of Nama hotels, there’s some food for thought . . . Surely there are one or two of those establishments in the western capital.
'WHENI wake up, my house would be made of chocolate". Ten-year-old Maya Piper-Smith stares into the camera and answers a question she has been asked. Along with 139 others, she is the subject of a new documentary, 140 Characters, by film-makers Shane Hogan and Tom Burke, writes Sinéad Gleeson.
Centred on Dublin, the duo asked 397 people the same question – which becomes apparent as you watch the film. The subjects are the storytellers and, as with their previous work The Liberties,they are keen for people to tell their own stories.
“In TV, things are often glued together with voiceover but this way, you get turns of phrase and a point of view you’d never achieve yourself.” A broad demographic participated and for social balance, they targeted groups from the inner city to south Co Dublin. Nursing homes, eco-groups, drama societies and schools queued up to answer a relatively philosophical question. The range of answers is arresting, moving, funny.
“There were people who thought about themselves; those who thought of friends and family and those who saw the world outside of that. Twenty per cent said they wanted to win the lottery, but what struck us most was the commonality: the middle-class kid and a kid from Tallaght both wanted the same thing,” says Hogan. People revealed all sorts: they wanted an end to illness, they wanted honest politicians and no Nama, to be Roy Keane and in many cases, to feel “safe”.
Ken Wardrop's His & Herstook a similar narrative approach, asking questions of midlands women.
One contributor to 140 Characters, is film-maker Conor Horgan, whose own film, Fear and Happinessasked people for their views on those emotions. Is this style of documentary indicative of a trend in Irish film-making? "Possibly, but it's not confined to Ireland," says Hogan. "Compendium film-making has evolved because of technology. Digitial video allows you to shoot more and cut it up. It's very postmodern and definitely appeals to everyone's shorter attention spans. We loved His & Hersand even though that birth-to-old-age idea has been done by Krzysztof Kieslowski, Ken really nailed it." The title, 140 Characters, is a reference to the pithiness of Twitter.
- A double-screening of 140 Charactersand The 80swill screen at the IFI in Temple Bar, Dublin tomorrow at 1pm. See ifi.ie
