INSIGHT SPIKE ISLAND 2015

Jul 14, 2015

2 min read

This exhibition is a retrospective of art work facilitated by the art department in Cork Prison for the past year. During this period, Tim Schmelzer, Mary Timmons and Helle Helsner undertook three different projects in collaboration with art teachers in the education unit.

2015 will be our last academic year in the current prison. Tim Schmelzer's work is significant because it resulted in a permanent record of work done on walls of the existing structure. For both teachers and prisoners it was a fitting project, both to mark the closure of the old prison and carry history to the new!

Tim Schmelzer was invited to Cork prison in September after our former supervising teacher, Catherine Coakley was captivated by his light projections on lookout posts around the coast of Ireland. www.lookoutpost.com

Tim defines the visual language of his work by coordinating the projection medium in relationship with the environment. The environments may be urban or rural landscapes depending on each project.

The work on display here was done in an intensive two week timeframe. The participants used drawing, collage, digital imagery and clay to create each individual artwork. The resulting artworks are personal journeys for each individual. However, when projected onto the external wall of the prison they became monumental, which highlighted the irony that the artists were incarcerated inside. Each prisoner has been presented with a copy of their own projection similar to that on display here today.

You can find out more about Tim by accessing www.timschmelzer.com

In October we facilitated a post graduate mentoring scheme from the CIT Crawford Collage of Art and Design. Mary Timmons came in and conducted a research project asking participants to explore the theme of memory and home. Mary is a ceramic and textile artist and has exhibited extensively throughout Ireland. She has taught in cork prison during the summer months for a number of years. Mary's knowledge and familiarity with the environment led participants to develop their ideas through discussion, drawing and collage. The project's success culminated in an exhibition with Mary's work in the Wandsford quay gallery in Cork city.

If you are interested in any of Mary's work you can contact her at maryftimmons@gmail.com.

Helle Helsner came to the prison in February as part of the artist in prison scheme. The Arts council funded scheme has played an integral part in art education in prison for nearly twenty five years. Helle is an established sculptor and her proposal for an experimental drawing workshop was interesting as we have students ready to undertake FETAC level 3,4 and 5 on an ongoing basis. Her two week workshop helped the participants to develop and explore ideas in drawing that can be troublesome to facilitate in a normal class. The drawings and sculptures on display are exploratory works.

You can find out more about Helle by accessing www.h2studioart.com