About this project & partners

icon-archivePROJECT SUMMARY

THESE ROOMS is an important new collaboration between ANU and CoisCéim Dance Theatre. It is an immersive live performance and installation project that cross pollinates contemporary dance, visual art and theatre.

Co-commissioned by 14-18NOW: the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, LIFT and Shoreditch Town Hall, this re-imagination of the Irish Times Irish Theatre award winning 2016 production is supported by Culture Ireland as part of GB18.

THESE ROOMS began as an Open Call National Project in ART: 2016: The Arts Council’s programme as part of Ireland 2016. ART: 2016 was a diverse and distinctive public showcase of Irish art which was presented across Ireland and abroad throughout the year. By supporting THESE ROOMS, the Arts Council placed artists and the arts at the centre of how it responded to the Centenary of the 1916 Rising. ART: 2016 was supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht through its Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme. Find out more…

Live performances of THESE ROOMS took place at 85/86 Dorset Street Upper from 27 September to 16 October 2016 as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. The run was extended to 13 November 2016 due to demand. The project also included the film installation, FALLING OUT OF STANDING, which premiered on 03 April 2017 at Festival House in central Dublin. The three films were subsequently screened as part of the 2017 Lightmoves Festival of Screendance, Limerick.

National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History

Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7

The National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History is a host venue for BEYOND THESE ROOMS. It is located at one of Dublin’s most impressive, historic sites. This former military barracks is home to two fascinating and completely diverse collections. Decorative arts encompasses silver, ceramics, glassware, furniture, clothing, jewellery and coins while the military history collection tells of Ireland’s military and revolutionary past. Exhibition highlights include 1916 – PROCLAIMING A REPUBLIC, which examines one of the most turbulent chapters in modern Irish history, and EILEEN GRAY, exploring the life and work of the iconic 20th century designer.

The museum offers a year-round programme of workshops, talks and tours for all ages and a changing programme of temporary exhibitions on historical and contemporary themes. There is also a café and gift shop onsite.

For further information please see www.museum.ie

14-18 NOW

14-18 NOW is a programme of extraordinary arts experiences connecting people with the First World War, as part of the UK’s official centenary commemorations. It commissions new work by leading contemporary artists across all art forms; since 2014 its programme has been included over 428 artists from 35 countries, taking place in 160 locations across the UK. Over 35 million people have experienced a project so far, including 7.5 million children and young people. 16.7 million people took part in LIGHTS OUT in 2014, and 63% of the population were aware of Jeremy Deller’s, ‘We’re here because we’re here’. The UK tour of the poppy sculptures by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper has been seen by over 4.5 million people to date. 14-18 NOW has won many awards for its work, including the National Lottery Heritage Award, 2017. 2018 is the final season, marking 100 years since the end of the First World War and includes PROCESSIONS marking 100 years since some UK women won the right to vote and Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old. 14-18 NOW is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England, by the DCMS with additional funding from The Backstage Trust, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clore Duffield Foundation, NatWest and support from individuals.

For further information please see www.1418now.org.co.uk

Culture Ireland

THESE ROOMS at LIFT 2018 is part of Culture Ireland’s GB18: Promoting Irish Arts in Britain, a vibrant, contemporary and high quality programme including events across artistic disciplines in prestigious venues, institutions and festivals in Britain.

Christine Sisk, Director, Culture Ireland, commented: “Culture Ireland is delighted to support two of Ireland’s most exciting and innovative performance ensembles, CoisCéim and ANU, as they bring the gripping These Rooms to British audiences. This event forms a key part of Culture Ireland’s GB18 programme which is aimed at bringing the work of Irish artists to Britain and building on our shared cultural connections.”

Culture Ireland – a division of the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht promotes Irish arts worldwide. It creates and supports opportunities for Irish artists and companies to present and promote their work at strategic international festivals and venues, and develops platforms to present outstanding Irish work to international audiences, through showcases at key global arts events, including the Edinburgh Festivals and the Venice Biennales.

For further information please see www.cultureireland.ie

TATE Liverpool

Tate Liverpool is a host venue for BEYOND THESE ROOMS. The gallery  is the UK’s most visited gallery of modern art outside of London and is home to the national collection of modern and contemporary art. Visitors enjoy world-class exhibitions and free displays, as well as magnificent views of the building and its surroundings. The gallery is housed within a Grade I listed warehouse and is situated at the historic Royal Albert Dock, the vibrant heart of the UNESCO designated World Heritage waterfront.

For further information please see www.tate.org.uk

LIFT

LIFT travels the world to bring global stories to London, creating spectacular performances and moments of magic in every corner of the Capital. For over 37 years it has presented shows in partnership with London’s major arts venues, theatres and galleries, but also in countless hidden spaces and places across the city. It works with world-class artists, whose radical imaginations create exceptional work that questions the nature of theatre, engages with the big ideas of our time, and reveals the stories and communities of our incredibly diverse Capital.Alongside LIFT’s biennial London-wide festival sits a programme of year- round activity that includes large scale projects, artist residencies, national touring and its ground-breaking participatory work, LIFT Tottenham.

Over the last two festivals, LIFT has represented 56 countries and commissioned over 31 new productions and events from around the world including Minefield (Lola Arias, LIFT 2016 and 2017/18 UK tour), Depart (Circa, LIFT 2016 and 2017 UK tour), Phaedra(s) (Odéon–Théâtre de l’Europe, LIFT 2016), Absent (dreamthinkspeak, 2015), The Notebook (Forced Entertainment, LIFT 2014), Symphony of a Missing Room (Lundahl ; Seitl, LIFT 2014) and Deblozay (Rara Woulib, LIFT 2014). LIFT’s next festival will take place across London in June 2018.

For further information please see www.liftfestival.com

Shoreditch Town Hall

Shoreditch Town Hall is a vital, non-traditional arts and events space: a unique home for original and adventurous arts and artists from across the world and a flagship venue for Hackney.

For further information please see shoreditchtownhall.com

ARTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND | OPEN CALL

THESE ROOMS is an Open Call National Project in ART: 2016: The Arts Council’s programme as part of Ireland 2016.
ART: 2016 was a diverse and distinctive public showcase of Irish art which was be presented across Ireland and abroad throughout the year. By supporting THESE ROOMS, the Arts Council placed artists and the arts at the centre of how it responded to the Centenary of the 1916 Rising. ART: 2016 was supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht through its Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

THESE ROOMS is one of nine projects that were selected by an international jury after the Arts Council of Ireland issued an ‘open call’ to the Irish imagination in March 2015, and promised to invest a total of €1 million in ambitious ideas by artists across the country to commemorate 1916.

At the programme launch, Arts Council Chair Sheila Pratschke said: “Almost one hundred years on, these proposals represent a key response to 1916. It will be very exciting to watch over the months ahead as they are transformed from idea to reality. I am already confident that these artists, with such vision and ambition, will inspire the nation.”

Arts Council Director Orlaith McBride said: “We in the Arts Council were overwhelmed – and delighted – by the
response to our ‘open call’, even if it made the international jury’s task of choosing just nine applications from 258 all the more challenging. The successful projects will be at the heart of the commemoration programme, and we want as many people as possible to experience the work when it is presented next year.”

For further information please see www.artscouncil.ie

National Archives of Ireland

For further information please see www.nationalarchives.ie

Dublin Theatre Festival

For further information please see www.dublintheatrefestival.com

Venue Partner 2016

The venue partner for THESE ROOMS 2016 was FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) who allowed the co-production to use their building at 85/86 Dorset Street Upper as the site for the performances.

For almost 50 years, FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) has sought to make law and the legal system accessible for people by advising them about their rights and promoting a just and equal society through law reform, casework and public legal assistance.

An independent organisation, FLAC promotes equal access to justice for all via outreach, advocacy and analysis. Every year more than 30,000 people get help directly via FLAC’s telephone info line, a countrywide network of volunteer evening advice centres (in association with Citizens Information) and online legal guides. If it is clear that a law or legal provision is unfair, intolerant or discriminatory, FLAC campaigns for legislative reform or policy change, particularly in its priority areas: social welfare, civil legal aid, personal debt and consumer credit. Where appropriate, FLAC takes strategic legal cases that will have a wider effect than just on the individual client concerned, such as the landmark Lydia Foy case for Transgender recognition or to promote consumer rights, adequate basic welfare supports or access to a lawyer.

FLAC’s Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA) initiative matches the legal needs of partner social justice organisations with pro bono expertise from the legal community, as well as working on barriers to public interest law in Ireland and supporting a more social justice-oriented strand in legal education. More at www.flac.ie

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