North Mayo art commission announced as part of Art in the Landscape project

Mayo County Council, Offaly County Council and Visual Artist Ireland have announced that the international artist Hardeep Sahota has been selected for an art commission in north Mayo and at Lough Boora Sculpture Park in Offaly. Hardeep will be collaborating with the photographer Tim Smith on this project.

As part of their research and community engagement, they will be facilitating two events in north Mayo in early September 2023.

The first event – Your Local Stories About Work Industries – will take place on Friday, September 1, from 2 to 4.30 p.m. at Áras Inis Gluaire, Belmullet. There will be a presentation of the artists' work and how it is inspired by local work industries. Afterwards people will have an opportunity to share their stories of their working lives.

Have you worked in one of the many local industries across the region, such as textiles, peat harvesting, farming, fishing or any other industry? If so, you are invited to come along to this event. The artists will be exploring the importance of industry, identity and place in order to celebrate their findings through a fusion of art, photography, dance, a specially commissioned soundscape and short film.

The second event – Have a Go - Bhangra Dance and Light-painting – will take place on Saturday, September 2, at 11 a.m. in the Ballina Civic Centre exhibition space (Ballina Civic Offices, Arran Place, Ballina).

Join Hardeep to learn some vibrant Indian dance as well as the basics of ‘painting’ with light, with support from the acclaimed photographer Tim Smith. This light-painting workshop is open to dancers of all ages, styles and abilities.

This exciting new project will explore your individual dance styles through light-painting. These images will in turn inform a larger project that explores movement, identity and place.

Originating from the Panjab in South Asia, Bhangra is an energetic traditional folk dance and musical form. In this interactive workshop, UK-based practitioner Hardeep Sahota will demonstrate some easy-to-learn Bhangra moves for you to follow. You will then get the opportunity to explore long-exposure photography using digital cameras and lights.

Booking is required for both events. To book, contact Mayo County Council Arts Service (see below for details).

This artist commission is part of Art in the Landscape, a project led by Offaly County Council in collaboration with partner organisations Bord Na Móna, Lough Boora Sculpture Park, Mayo County Council and Visual Artist Ireland. The project takes its inspirations from the Tír Sáile Sculpture Trail in north Mayo and Lough Boora Sculpture Park in Offaly – the two largest sculpture trails/parks in Ireland.

This phase of the project will return to the local context, focusing on aspects of art in the landscape that are specific to each locality, through artist-led projects and in-person events. The project is funded by the Arts Council’s An Invitation to Collaboration Scheme.

The partners are delighted to be working with Helen Pheby, curator, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, who has been engaged to curate the artists' commissions and overall curatorial direction of the project. Helen's career was inspired by a school visit to YSP and the cultural heritage of West Yorkshire. She has curated numerous artist projects in the UK and overseas, including Art by Email in partnership with ArtRole, which gave a platform to artists in areas of conflict.

Hardeep is a multidisciplinary artist and academic widely known for his work in the field of Bhangra. His much-acclaimed book, Bhangra: Mystics, Music and Migration, explores the origins of this folk song and dance from the Panjab in South Asia and its development into part of modern British culture in the hybrid soundscape of British Bhangra and beyond. Hardeep is also a secondary school teacher of art, and an Affiliate Fellow at the University of Huddersfield, in recognition of his research and work within the local community. For his exhibition Bhangra Lexicon at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, he collaborated with photographer Tim Smith to capture dance, body movements and gestures associated with Bhangra, using coloured lights and long-exposure photography. He continues to study this life-long fascination with dance through the ephemeral qualities of light-painting and other creative explorations.

Tim Smith is a freelance photographer who combines editorial and commercial work with exhibition, publishing and mixed media projects. He is based in Yorkshire. The region and its diverse communities have provided the inspiration and acted as a springboard for national and international projects which have resulted in dozens of exhibitions toured in over 20 countries worldwide, and showcased in 11 books. Much of this work explores the links between Britain and people and places in other parts of the world.

If you are interested in booking a place for the events above or would like more information, contact Aoife O’Toole of Mayo Arts Service on aotoole@mayococo.ie (094) 9064376.