A Magic, Moving, Living Thing
Sun 4 Sep 2022 - Thu 8 Sep 2022
Description
A Magic, Moving, Living Thing is an artist-led project at Butler Gallery that aims to build communities and connections around the River Nore, through collaborative art work and knowledge exchange between citizens, artists and experts.
with Artist Mary Conroy
The River Nore has been an essential influence in the development of Kilkenny since the time of St Canice himself, some 1400 years ago. For millennia it has functioned as an artery for the movement of humans and other natural ecological populations. Its energy has been harnessed
for centuries to turn millstones for industry and aid with the import and export of goods from the city by the merchant classes. It has given the everyday people of Kilkenny a constant source of freshwater for drinking, bathing, fishing, and farming. Without the River Nore there
would be no Kilkenny City.
The course and form of the River has been modified to suit the changing populations for centuries. The aim of this project is to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the River Nore as a living entity and create a long-lasting relationship between the human and non-human communities that live, or have lived, with this river since the first charter of Kilkenny granted in 1207.
What will the River tell us? Together, we will explore our shared human and more-than-human histories, the current health of the river, and we will consider our future together.
Artists Bio
Mary Conroy lives and works in Limerick and Kilkenny, Ireland. She is a cross-disciplinary artist who graduated with a BA in Ceramics (2004) and
an MA in Social Practice and the Creative Environment (2011) from Limerick School of Art and Design. She works in the medium of clay, ceramics, and mixed media sculpture within social practice. Her work investigates humans’ situation within the more-than-human world through socially engaged practice including participation and intervention.
4th September, 11:30am - 1:30pm- Booking Required
Kayak and mindfulness on the Nore
Join yoga instructor Gráinne Murphy and Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club for a special event as part of the Magic, Moving, Living Thing Project. We will take a short paddle along the river Nore and spend some time exploring our presence on the river and our senses, to experience a unique, fun and mindful practice. This guided practice will help participants to connect with the river on both a physical and sensory level, to enhance our understanding of it as a magic, moving, living entity.
8th September 1pm - Booking Required
'An ancient moving, living thing’: The Archaeology of Kilkenny’s River Nore with Cóilín Ó Drisceoil
Archaeologist Cóilín Ó Drisceoil will share his extensive knowledge of the intertwined history of people, land and river in Kilkenny as evidenced by the archaeological record of the city.