Past Projects

CON-SUME  -   A FLAVOUR

This is the story of a collaboration between people and organisations. It’s a story of how the Fire Station Studios; the North Centre City Community Action Project (NCCCAP); artist John Langan; and the men and women of the NCCCAP worked together over 18 months to explore art and their own creativity… and like all good stories, it’s still unfolding.

This document is a reflection and celebration of the CON-SUME project and people. It provides a sense of the work that was done and the lessons learnt along the way. It can only begin to show the richness and essence of the project.

Why did Con-Sume happen?

The Fire Station and the NCCCAP share the same building in Buckingham Street and have had a very good but informal relationship over the years. The artistic and creative activity that was occurring in the Fire Station, and the community development activity in the NCCCAP got glimpses of each other over the years. It was felt by both organisations that a more formal cultural/community collaboration between the two organisations could develop and strengthen their working relationships.

Another reason for developing CON-SUME was to provide the men and women of the NCCCAP with the chance to be part of an artistic and creative process.

CON-SUME was also developed to provide participants with the chance of getting to know a practising artist and gaining some sense of an artists work and life.

CON-SUME  - WHAT HAPPENED

As a starting point the project focused on ‘Food and Eating’ which provided the title ‘CON-SUME’. The reason for this focus was that the NCCCAP runs a catering course and the artist is a qualified head chef. Food is such a part of people’s lives that everyone can draw on memories and experiences to create something.

 PRINCIPLES OF THE PROJECT

• It was important to have realistic expectations for the project and all the people involved. New projects can be sabotaged if expectations are too high, given the time and resource constraints that usually exist.
• A key principle of the project was that each person had creative potential and deserved the time and support to release that potential. This meant that the artist worked with the participants from their experiences and feelings about art and creativity and acted as a creative facilitator in the process. He also created the spaces to challenge the group and allow them to take creative risks.
• The artist was included as part of the working team within the NCCCAP. This is an important principle because organisations view the artist/ artsworker as an ‘add on’. Other staff rarely know what the artsworker is doing and the artsworker does not gain an understanding of how the organisations works, which can often lead to tension and frustration.
• Emphasis was placed on a process that involved experimentation and fun as well as taking the time for the participants and the artist to get to know each other.
• As the project developed the participants were encouraged to bring their own ideas for the creative activities. This meant that as the ideas changed the work moved from its original starting point.

ACTIVITIES IN CON-SUME

During the project the men and women explored a number of visual art mediums. They also visited museums, art galleries as well as a number of theatre productions and films.

Some of the sessions involved talking and group discussions on the works seen or videos that the group had watched. Talking was important because it helped break down barriers; develop trust; challenge stereotypes; and debate the work.

• Visual Art Food Paintings; Drawing; Talking
• Mask Making – Large masks were made for ICON’s entry in the 1998 St Partakes Day Parade. The process involved a number of sessions drawing and then making the masks.
• Visits to Museums, Art Exhibitions and Theatre productions
• Films and Videos
• Fax Box Project – Participants created works with inks and markers using brushes and small sticks. At the end of the session works were faxed to the organisers of the Mail Art Project which opened in April 1998 in Roscommon.
• Prints – Prints were made on the Con-Sume theme using Quick print and water based inks. The work later developed to include wood and lino cutting techniques.
• Drawing in a pool hall – Ink drawings were created after a visit to a pool hall.
• Graffiti art – the participants asked to move a way from the food theme and created their own work on paper in the form of graffiti art.
• Portraits  - people painted self portraits
• Photography – people started taking photographs of each other and this developed into images using props and lighting. Eventually the group took to the street with disposable cameras to capture images of their people and places.
• Christmas Cards – the women designed Christmas cards that are produced for the Fire Station and NCCCAP
• Exhibition – over time the group created work for an exhibition. The work was the end product of all the other activities and processes. It was not planned at the beginning of the project but came out of the overall process. The participants made stretchers and attached the canvases for their own works. Mick Rafferty (Director of Community Technical Aid) opened the exhibition in the Fire Station and the community was invited to attend.