Deirdre M. Donoghue

What Belongs To The Sky?

deirdremdonoghue — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:59:03 +0000

The project What Belongs To The Sky?, has been made possible by a research and development subsidy from the Centrum Beeldende Kunsten, Rotterdam.

http://www.rotterdamsekunstenaars.nl/nl/home/oo-keuze-uit-afgeronde-projecten

What Belongs To The Sky? investigates the social aspects between language and communication in a situation where the ability to speak is broken down. In order to carry out the project, I set out to focus on the very particular condition of aphasia, which is an inability to understand and/or to use language symbols as a result of a neurological impairment. As language is essential to the construction of a Self, I was curious to examine how it would be possible for a person living with aphasia to participate in the social construction of his or hers autobiographical narrative in the face of such an impairment. What I set out to do was to insert myself, together with my video and audio recording equipment, in the everyday life of an elderly couple living on an isolated, bi-lingual island of Utö (Finland), in the middle of the Baltic sea. The man of the couple, Fjalar Johansson, has Bingswangers disease, a type of dementia, and as a result suffers of aphasia. Previously a bi-lingual, charismatic and an eloquent public speaker, Fjalar’s speech has in the last few years been reduced to a very basic level, consisting of simple sentences, isolated words, and supporting bodily gestures. Now, more often than not, he is unable to finish his sentences and give form to his thoughts through words. He is unable to fluently express himself to others and in this way to participate in the social. His inability to partake in the social through language and speaking is also heightened by his poor sight and hearing. However, it is specifically his loss of language and its creative power to construct, order and mediate that has placed him in a social abyss with diminished means to navigate in the social and so to have proper agency as a human being.

The project will result in two parallel parts; a film with a narrative structure and an audio-visual installation consisting of shorter video works.

‘Kitchen Lecture: Notes on Gesture’ in Our House in The Middle of The Street

deirdremdonoghue — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:29:04 +0000

A Publication to celebrate 10 years Kunsthuis SYB.

The house of Kunsthuis SYB in Beetsterzwaag has served as a residency for artists since 2000. The publication ‘Our House in the Middle of the Street’ looks back with its eye on the future.

The book comprises two parts in alternating chapters.

Space: a walk through the house in six chapters*
Each chapter has a text that thematically relates to one of the rooms of SYB. The texts vary in style and subject matter beautifully, and are as diverse as the writers themselves, while the main theme (cooperation) is addressed from different angles. Each chapter also highlights three projects.

Time: a log of ten years of development and diversity.
Ten chapters with a selection from the archives of Kunsthuis SYB. A collection of all projects, events and developments in images, texts, clippings and quotes, which not only show the development of the organization, but also gives a glimpse behind the scenes. Through listing ten years of art projects, the publication provides comprehensive insight into the evolution and diversity of the genre.

Publication date: december 23, 2011
Circulation 500, 220 pages, English and Dutch

* Content of the chapters (Space):

Chapter 1: Entrance / Hospitality
Text: ‘Letter on the occasion of ten years Kunsthuis SYB’ by Danielle Van Zuijlen (a.o. freelance curator, founder Hotel Mariakapel, board member TransArtists and 1646)
Projects: Zucht (Linda Molenaar a.o., 2000), Image is Everything (Bureau Zeezicht, 2006), Bear Man and Alice (Abner Preis a.o., 2009

Chapter 2: Gallery / Playground Structures
Text: ‘Free as in cheese: artistic confusion at the edge of openness’ by Aymeric Mansoux (a.o. artist, musician, co-founder of, main teacher Media Design Piet Zwart Institute, MPhil/PhD-student Goldsmiths College London)
Projects: Wilde Metaphysica (Jantine Wijnja a.o., 2008), De Kolonie – The Colony (students and alumni from the Sandberg Institute, 2010), Mental Mickey and the Desert of Doom (Powerplant, 2007)

Chapter 3: Kitchen / Nesting
Text: ‘Notes for “Kitchen Lecture: Notes on Gesture”‘ by Deirdre M. Donoghue (a.o. artist, writer, researcher, co-founder ADA)
Projects: Blind House (Maurice van Daalen and Giorgos Gripeos, 2005), Het huis met de arend (Ruth van Beek and Basje Boer, 2009), The Primitive Breakthrough (Emmeline de Mooij a.o., 2008)

Chapter 4: Dining room / Open House
Text: ‘The Collaborative Turn’ by Maria Lind (a.o. curator, critic, director Tensta Konsthall Stockholm, former director Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College New York, Iaspis Stockholm and Kunstverein München, curator Moderna Museet Stockholm, received Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement in 2009)
Projects: ¿Volzet? (Sabine Mooibroek, 2001), Leentjebuur (Henry J. Alles, 2003), The Expanding Pie (Dutch Art Institute, 2007)

Chapter 5: Living Room / Private/Public
Text: ‘Terminus ante quem, terminus post quem’ by Ana Nikitovic (a.o. curator Museum Contemporary Art Belgrado, member Prelom Kolektiv, participant Curatorial Programme De Appel season 2008/2009)
Projects: Last Christmas (Daan Samson, 2006), Big Fingers (Jérôme Sother and Christophe Boursault, 2008), Tristes Tropiques, Illustrations hors Texte (Laurence Aegerter and Ronald van Tienhoven, 2010)

Chapter 6: Bedroom / Social Politics
Text: ‘Refusing to live in a nice world: minimal conditions for the collective’ by Frans-Willem Korsten (a.o. professor literature and society Erasmus University, professor Literary Studies Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, former teacher Piet Zwart Institute, president committee Letteren Raad voor Cultuur)
Projects: Dyn Lân Bestiet Net (Ólafur Árni Ólafsson and Libia Pérez de Siles de Castro, 2005), Subgoed performancefestival (Serge Lammerts a.o., 2005), Waiting Room (Maja Bekan, 2008)

10 years of SYB

deirdremdonoghue — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:48:45 +0000

A group exhibition, a publication, a Masterclass in art criticism, performances, musical reflections and socratic dialogues.

location: P/////AKT, Zeeburgerpad 53, Amsterdam
opening: 31 July 2011, 5 pm
exhibition: 1 – 21 August 2011
opening hours: Thursday to Sunday 2 – 6 pm

Should you happen to be in Amsterdam between the 1st of August and the 21st of August 2011, you can see my work ‘A Certain Capacity For Occupying Space’ as part of the group show: ‘10 Years of SYB’. On the 21st of August I will also be performing a ‘follow-up’ to the video work ‘A Certain Capacity for Occupying Space’ .

On the same day SYB will launch a publication reflecting on the last ten years of its history by publishing texts by writers, theorists and artists whom, amongst many others, contributed to the symposium ‘Our House in The Middle of The Street’, organized by SYB in October 2010. As part of this publication is my contribution ‘Kitchen Lecture; Notes on Gesture’ based on my performance lecture of the same name. The publication is edited by Maja Bekan, Irene Kromhout.

ADA’s Cabinet: About Games and Being Serious

deirdremdonoghue — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:48:24 +0000

As part of ADA’s investigation into collaborative and participatory practices, ADAinitiates a short-term reading group for the duration of it’s work period at BRAK#3 in Duende, in the month of April.

During six-sessions, texts reflecting on artistic production, modes of communication, political positioning and the meaning produced, will be jointly and actively explored in a friendly and relaxed environment. This short-term exercise is intended to enable practical exploration of the collective endeavor to encounter each other through a collaborative working practice. The subject matter of the reading group acts as an introduction to ADA’s current inquiry, which it will continue reflecting on in the coming year through its public program.

ADA cordially invites you to join in the reading of the following texts:

Session 1
Tuesday 5th of April | 19:30-22:30
The Author as Producer, by Walter Benjamin. And in addition the short text The Artist as Producer in Times of Crisis by Okwui Enwezor.

Session 2
Sunday 10th of April | 15:00-18:00
The Emancipated Spectator, pp. 1-23, by Jacques Rancière.

Session 3
Monday 11th of April | 19:30-22:30
The Collaborative Turn, by Maria Lind.

Session 4
Wednesday 13th of April | 19:30-22:30
The Demands and Challenges of Committed Participation, by Mika Hannula.

Session 5
Thursday 21st of April | 19:30-22:30
Maybe it would be better if we worked in groups of three? Part 1 & 2 of The Discursive, by Liam Gillick.

Session 6
Monday 25th of April | 19:30-22:30
Tolerance as an Ideological Category, by Slavoj Žižek.

Please Note: read the text before attending the reading session. There will not be a full reading of the text during the session but a discussion on sections of the texts brought up by anyone who is taking part in the reading group. All texts can be downloaded from our website.

Additionally to the activity of exploring the texts together, a beautiful, brand new, state-of-the-art, ping-pong table is made available by ADA for all level of sporting and recreational fun. The studio is open to use daily for play and reading from 10:00-19:30.

Practical Information:
Monday 04 April – Sunday 01 May 2011
Duende | the Hessen Studio
Tamboerstraat 9, 3034 PT, Rotterdam

email: info@adarotterdam.nl
tel: 06-23980265

Upcoming: March 2011

deirdremdonoghue — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:41:59 +0000

When the Landscape Begins to Map the Cartographer (4.3.2011)

The article When the Landscape Begins to Map the Cartographer will be published on the 4th of March by P.A.I.R, (a mobile, artists initiative by PeerGrouP, the northern Holland based theatre company specializing in site-specific theatre.)

Since 2009, P.A.I.R has offered temporary residence for international artists. Selected artists make a given theme their starting point, relating to their surroundings and neighbours, making use of their knowledge, art and tools.

In 2010 the theme was chorography and I was invited by Henry J. Alles from P.A.I.R to write about this subject in relation to the specific residency of Louie+Jesse, an English artist duo.

The resulting text: When The Landscape Begins to Map The Cartographer will be published in the publication P.A.I.R. 2010 Chorografie and on this website after the 4th of March.

http://www.peergroup.nl/informatie/english-information/

http://www.peergroup.nl/pair/#english-information

Upcoming: February 2011

deirdremdonoghue — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:05:53 +0000

RAiR presents a selection of Rotterdam Artist’s in Residence from the past 10 years by Duende, foundation B.A.D., Het Wilde Weten, Kaus Australis and Kunst&Complex. Curated by Leo Delfgaauw.

Sat. Feb. 12 noon – 6pm / Hillelaan 28, Rotterdam.

Inside ADA’s Cabinet, Meet, discuss and interact with artist initiative ADA, Area for Debate and Art. The members of ADA will discuss their archive of lectures and other public projects by using artefacts and objects as mediators.

ADA is a self-organized, independent artists initiative formed in September 2008 to support, nurture, stimulate and to create space for critical reflection and debate in and about art, in an open, cross-disciplinary minded and a friendly environment. At the core of ADA are the art practices of six Rotterdam based artists (Maja Bekan, Deirdre M. Donoghue, Gerwin Luijendijk, Margo Onnes, Esmé Valk and Sjoerd Westbroek) who also run ADA’s public program. ADA is as much a mental state as it is a physical location. It can be thought of as a multifaceted, porous sphere, consisting of people, thoughts, ideas, knowledge and experience/s, which flow in and out from the Area. A common philosophy of the members of ADA is the simple belief in the value of specifically framed human encounters as artistically meaningful and valuable sites, where new knowledge can be activated and allowed into being.

http://www.adarotterdam.nl

Deirdre M. Donoghue

deirdremdonoghue — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:44:28 +0000

Deirdre M. Donoghue, (Finland,1971) is an artist based in Rotterdam.

In her works she seeks to set-up situations where multiple relations can be set into motion and the production of new knowledge through cross-disciplinary methods and approaches become mobilized. Her video, performance, installation and text -works often focus on the relational aspects of memory production, cultural translation and the production of a Self.

Additional research interests include: feminist issues, performance- and gender studies.

She is the organizer of the program The Open Office for Words, which hosts talks, research presentations and discussions within a cross-disciplinary framework, a contributing editor of the publication Resonant Bodies, Voices, Memories, Revolver, Archiv für aktuelle Kunst, Frankfurt and The Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam and a founding member of ADA, Area for Debate and Art.

Contact:

Email: dmdvisuals@gmail.com

openofficeforwords@gmail.com

http://deirdremdonoghue.wordpress.com

Notes on Performativity: Memory Production as a Performative Utterance

deirdremdonoghue — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:09:32 +0000

Lecture:

Notes on Performativity: Memory Production as a Performative Utterance, a lecture by Deirdre M. Donoghue on the 4th of December at 20:00h taking place in the framework of The Object Lag Intangible, a Play

Donoghue considers the performative as; reality producing relation between memory, its documentation and its representation. She will look at art works that deal with memory production and the production of subjectivities.

The 2010 programme of Nieuwe Vide draws to a close on the 17th and 18th of December with The Object Lag Intangible, a Play. Guest curator and artist, Emily Williams enters a working period in collaboration with performance artist, DavidWeber-Krebs, artist and theoretician, Warren Neidich and artist,Deirdre M. Donoghue. Reflecting on the past year and departing from the question; How can The Object lag be documented without fixing it? Williams devises a choreography that opposes bringing The Object Lag to a prescribed end, but rather, sets it in motion as a possible beginning. Including presentations byMichael Beck, Rana Hamadeh, Scott Joseph Jean-BaptisteMaitre, Julie Peeters and guests.

http://www.nieuwevide.nl/

Upcoming December 2010

deirdremdonoghue — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:07:27 +0000

The Object Lag. / Nieuwe Vide, Haarlem.

Upcoming November 2010

deirdremdonoghue — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:59:00 +0000

A Brief History of Play / TENT., Rotterdam / 28.11.2010

A Brief History of Play is a light tour into the interrelated history and relationship between play and education. During the tour emphasis is given on the activity of play itself and the participants are invited to play, instead of engaging in the topic on a purely conceptual level.