Hello there…
15.01.23 It’s a weird one to come back to this after nearly nine years. As I set forth on my biggest journey yet, it feels natural to turn around and look at what has been. Things in my life are finally starting to take shape. The form that’s emerging is malleable and one that I finally feel like I can sculpt with my own hands into something that works for me. In the intervening years I’ve become an accidental academic, a leader, a manager, a mother. Too much has happened to fully make sense of it here, but this is just a note to say this all still feels relevant. The work, the angst, the ideas. I am here and I stand by it all.
21.04.14 This is not goodbye but, for now, my focus isn’t on ‘my practice’: on making work and showing work, applying for funding, completing application forms for open submissions, going to openings I don’t really want to go to and suffering bad wine hangovers the next day.
I like to think I have achieved a lot and, indeed, that I could continue to, should I have the desire to do so. But a lot of the joy in making work has disappeared in recent years and I even if the work is still ‘strong’ it feels wrong to keep on forcing it. For now, life is about rhythm and structure and indulging the other pragmatic side of myself that feels strongly about living honestly and with integrity.
So for now, I’m signing off. Thanks for listening.
14.06.13 At last, an update of sorts. Following on from a manic nine shows in three days at the Brighton Festival we (The Honest Crowd) are conserving our energy for a five-night run of Glasshouse in Battersea Arts Centre in London in July. More anon. In the meantime I’m dabbling in my visual arts roots and working on a piece for Dress the Statue an exhibition I have been invited to be in. I’m developing a new video piece on an old theme – an upcycling if you will. Just shot it today and it felt quite nice to be behind the camera again. Next to post-production and then it will be on show on Friday 21st June ’13 at Dress the Statue.
Photo Credit: Kieron Boyle
28.01.13 Self-administering a website is tough. You come on to post an update, spend hours tweaking other things and then forget to post what you’d originally planned. This is my excuse for being absent for so long. There is a lot going on right now but creatively my focus is The Honest Crowd – a London based performance collective of which I am a founding member. We are developing Glasshouse – a live schizophrenic performance which takes place at a dinner table set for thirty-five. If you would like to be a guest at our absurd dinner party, that can happen! We will be performing a scratch (unfinished version) at Battersea Arts Centre in March. You can book tickets here. Then, all of our hard work will culminate in Glasshouse being premiered in The Basement in Brighton as part of the Brighton Festival in May 2013. The good people of The Basement have been supporting us with a series of ongoing residencies which has enabled us to develop Glasshouse and spend lots of time in lovely Brighton. We’ve also had the privilege of working with a whole film crew and photographer to produce some promotional material for Glasshouse. Enjoy and come and check out the real deal when it comes to a venue near you.
10.06.12 It’s been a while. I blame it on a flurry of practice based creativity thanks to my MA. Unbelievably I’m currently working on my final project which causes me to question ‘Really, where does the time go?’. I am co-devising a piece called Glasshouse with five other performers and we’re in the thick of it right now. This piece will be showcased as part of our festival GOING PUBLIC which takes place at Goldsmiths from the 27th – 30th of June. You can take a look at our Facebook page, blog and website to find out more information. If you particularly want to see my collaborative piece it takes place on the night of Friday the 29th of June and during the matinée on Saturday the 30th of June – mention Glasshouse when booking tickets by emailing goingpublic[at]gold.ac.uk. In the meantime I’ve uploaded some of my collaborative projects from this year. You can watch PLANO and Okroshka’s Unfinished Symphony online. Enjoy and don’t forget to like GOING PUBLIC on FB to keep up-to-date with everything that is happening on my MA.
23.01.12 I’ve updated a few bits and pieces today. You can take a look at the text piece You’ve got me which I installed in VISUAL in Carlow last year and also have a look at St. Vitus’ Dance which I showed as part of my solo show When darkness falls from the air in Cross Gallery. More images of this show to follow. 2011 finished off on a delightful note as I was included on +Billion- art journal’s ‘Magic Moments’ list. I never thought I’d be capable of inducing giddiness in someone, but life is full of little surprises!
02.11.11 I will not lie…I’ve had to neglect my site somewhat of late. Between leaving my job, moving out of my studio, leaving our flat, installing a solo show, moving country and then starting an MA, all in the space of about 8 weeks, it turns out there aren’t many hours left in the day to do anything else! So now I find myself firmly ensconced in south east London and enjoying everything this city and Goldsmiths has to offer. There is a lot of change going on right now and I think it’s good. My MA which is in ‘Performance Making’ is pretty special. It’s a wonderfully eclectic mix of physical training and, for wont of a better term, abstract brain training. Maybe it’s gymnastics for the mind? Whatever it is, I can’t quite explain in words what I’m learning but I know it is important and worthwhile. Most of all, I think the people I have met will influence the way I work and think for a long time to come. Watch this space for news and documentation of performances I create for my MA.
In the not so distant future I must apply my mind to sorting through the images from my solo show and uploading them. For now here’s a little taster…
09.08.11 It’s been a while. I’ve been doing a lot of non-art related work of late but now it is time to buckle down and prepare for my solo show. The dates have moved a couple of times but I think I can definitively say it is opening in the project space nag in Cross Gallery on the 9th of September. It is forming part of the Dublin Contemporary Circle Programme which I am told means lots of important people will see my work. I don’t know who they are or what exactly this Circle Programme thingy is but I’m guessing it’s a good thing. The title of the show is When darkness falls from the air and it will feature video, text and installation work. I am quietly freaking out about how the show is going to come together. In fact I’m already convinced I’m going to make a bit of a mess of it but everything is in motion and I just have to go with it. I am also preparing for my move to London and the Arts Council have very kindly given me a bit of money towards my studies. Thank you to the Arts Council. In time I will also put up some images of You’ve got me – the text piece I installed in VISUAL, Carlow earlier this year but for now I will apply my mind to uploading the Arts Council logo to my homepage so that they don’t change their minds about funding me!
26.06.11 This September I shall be abandoning the fair isle of Ireland and heading over to London to study for my MA. I applied to and have been accepted on the MA in Performance Making in Goldsmiths. I feel a certain amount of trepidation about what lies ahead. Have I chosen the right path? Maybe I should be doing a Fine Art MA? Is this going to be confidence building or breaking? All of these questions will have to remain unanswered for now. One thing I do know is that I want to be challenged and I think this MA will do that. Who knows what a difference a year will make? For now, here is what I know about the course and what I’m letting myself in for.
The iconic Ben Pimlott Building at Goldsmiths
18.06.11 I am currently showing a piece called You’ve got me in VISUAL, Centre of Contemporary Art in Carlow. This piece forms part of a group show titled Constellations which in turn is part of the 2011 Éigse festival. It’s great to be part of this exhibition and in particular to show in such an impressive building. As always the architecture of the space heavily influenced my piece and in this instance I chose to show the circles in a single line so as to reflect the formality of the architecture. I have also developed a companion piece called I’ve got you which originally was to be installed outside the gallery in advance of the opening on the 10th of June – however, the weather Gods have not been kind and with so much wind and rain of late it has been impossible to install this piece. As Constellations runs until the 21st of August this piece may yet be a late addition to the show – weather permitting of course. I will, in time, upload images of the work but for now you will have to make do with this work-in-progress shot which shows approximately 1032 individual stickers which ultimately make up one of three 6ft in diameter circles installed in the gallery space.
25.04.11 Three Colours – Red is currently showing in SOMA in Waterford and features two of my pieces. I devised a new square text piece – images of which can be seen here and I am also showing my single channel video piece the importance of being. The exhibition continues until the 7th of May and you can watch interviews with myself, Abigail O’Brien and Mary Kelly and Karmel Daly about our responses to the colour red here.
Also, as you may have noticed I’m revamping my site at the moment so apologies for any broken links/missing content – it’s a bit of an epic task so it may take some time. In the meantime I’ve been busy with open submission proposals and funding applications and I was delighted to be told that my work has been selected for Constellations – a group show curated by Emma-Lucy O’Brien which will form part of this years Éigse Carlow Arts Festival…details to follow. I’m also applying my mind to my upcoming solo show opening on the 7th of July in the Cross Gallery on Francis Street so I’m nice and busy at the moment.
16.03.11 ‘Blue’ – an apt colour given my mood of late. Having been invited to show in SOMA in Waterford last year I set my mind to finally incorporating colour into my text pieces. The fruits of my labour are now on show in SOMA as part of the show Blue which runs until the 2nd of April and images of the installation can be seen here.
Many thanks to Rachael Corcoran, curator extraordinaire, who helped with the installation.
28.01.11: Where to start? My brain died its usual miserable death around November, hence the silence. A number of unexpected things also happened. Firstly my solo show is now taking place in July from the 7th to the 30th. Initially I was disappointed – I was looking forward to having a deadline to work towards first thing in the new year. However, when I went to my studio on the 1st of December and found it completely flooded, the postponement of my show started to look like a blessing in disguise. Work was destroyed, equipment damaged and ultimately, art-wise, I was homeless. This was not part of the plan. Truth be told it’s an interesting dilemma to discuss in hindsight but at the time I was pretty much gutted. It had just started to feel like ‘home’ and then of course there was the fact that all of my work was attached to the actual surfaces of my studio – even the work that was not destroyed in the flood had to be left behind. Having a studio is neither as fun nor as interesting a one might imagine. I was essentially told that the roof (which was the cause of the flood) was not going to be fixed. I was welcome to move to another space in the building but I was being given no guarantee that it wouldn’t suffer the same fate. There was only one thing for it and that was to get the hell out – but not without being duly compensated for my damaged items and this was easier said than done. I spent hours documenting each affected item only for the suggestion to floated (pardon the pun) that maybe certain things weren’t actually damaged in the flood. There was talk of how tough times are for the businessman who owns the building and now runs the studios – that was none of my business. I guess I was supposed to feel guilty for asking for what was rightfully mine. Eager to move on from my disastrous first studio I went to view a studio one Saturday morning a few weeks before Christmas. The woman who showed it to me was still drunk from the night before, teeth and lips blackened by wine – I believe she had just rolled out of bed. Now is probably neither the time nor the place to discuss professionalism in the art world (or lack thereof) but let it be said that there seems to be a general consensus that I shouldn’t take myself or my work very seriously. There is a word, I think it’s ‘respect’, that is missing from these scenarios and that absence of respect is slowly but surely adding to my already innate cynicism.
Bye bye studio.
But onwards and upwards. There have been some high points not least of which was Right Here, Right Now which took place in Kilmainham Gaol on the 4th of November (just preceding my brain death). It was truly a great experience. My only regret, I suppose, is that I didn’t get to see any of the actual performances myself, but the buzz was incredible. There were people queueing up outside the Gaol in the most shocking of Irish weather, there was a hunger for it and you could sense it. The piece I was performing was so far removed from the kind of work I make myself but that in itself was refreshing. Four of us performed together in a cell for four solid hours. It was challenging and exciting and hard to explain. I’ll leave that task up to my good friend Sara Baume who was invited to respond to the evening by Paper Visual Art Journal. You can read her thoughts here. Below is an image of the four of us – myself, Meabh Redmond, Niamh Murphy and Seamus Bradley – performing in the Gaol.
‘Penal Machinery’ Right Here, Right Now. Kilmainham Gaol 04.11.10
Photograph – Margaret Byrne
Additionally I have just moved into a new studio. It’s an informal space – a room above a retail premises. There is no talk of creating a professional artists community here which is something that so many other group studio spaces bang on about. ‘Community’ – it’s some sort of creepy buzz word that has been bastardised to such an extent that it has lost all meaning as far as I can tell. This studio is a quiet place for work and reflection and I’m looking forward to buckling down and finally getting some work done.
My new space…it needs a lick of paint and whatnot but I think it’s going to be good.
09.10.10: My little art world has been delightfully busy of late. After the drought that was my summer I now have a few great things to look forward to and to work towards….
I am bursting with excitement because I will be having my first solo show in January 2011. I’m too much of a dork to act all cool and passe about this so I’m gushing to everyone I see. It is a pretty big deal for me and something I have been working hard to get over the last two years. The show will be taking place in ‘nag’ which is the project space downstairs in Cross Gallery and it will be curated by Mark St. John Ellis. I had the pleasure of working with Mark briefly in 2007 when I showed some work in the Ashford Gallery in the RHA. That was my first ‘professional’ art experience post-college and it was such a refreshing and encouraging one. I’m chuffed to be working with Mark again and, as he is pretty much giving my free rein, I’m hoping I won’t disappoint. I met with Mark and Nicholas, who owns and runs Cross Gallery, the other week and came away feeling like the work is good and that I really do have something to offer. This will also be my first opportunity to show the text and video work alongside one another – something I’ve been threatening to do for a long time now. Watch this space for updates and whatnot.
The good people at SOMA Contemporary Art Box in Waterford invited me to put forward a proposal for their upcoming ‘Three Colours’ exhibition in 2011. This is a series of exhibitions focusing on the three primary colours. I put submitted a proposal for blue and red and both pieces have been accepted. Despite the few successes I’ve had over the last few years I have never actually had the opportunity to show my work outside Dublin so this is something I’m really looking forward to. The shows for Blue and Red are set to take place from March to May next year so I’ll keep you posted with details.
And finally, I will be taking part in a durational live group performance for Right Here Right Now in Kilmainham Gaol on the 4th of November. This performance has been devised by Meabh Redmond and Niamh Murphy and is essentially a voice-based durational piece which will take place in one of the cells in the gaol. On the night there will also be performances by 19 other artists, many of whom you may be familiar with. We’re doing rehearsals right now and I’m quite enjoying the experience of work with a group – something I have not had the opportunity to do before. It is also interesting for me, control-freak that I am, to perform someone elses piece, thereby relinquishing control. It’s a great learning experience for me and I’m looking forward to the 4th of November. I’ll post more details when I get them.
29.08.10 I’ve been working away pretty intensively in the studio lately and I feel I am making progress. I’ve started to incorporate colour into the text pieces and at the same time I’m figuring out how to marry the video and text work…something I’ve been trying to do for what feels like an eternity. Then came the dilemma, when updating my WordPress, whether to post the new work under the topic of ‘Text Work’ or ‘Video Work’. For now you will find it listed under ‘Text Work’ but that is open to change and my head is too bamboozled to think any further about it. As always, you can click here to check out the new work.
6.08.10 I’ve just posted images of the artwork that myself and Kieron Boyle did for the Squarehead 7″ release. You can check it out here.
30.07.10 I’ve got a new text and video piece called Lick which can be viewed here. I’m working on a few pieces at the moment and I’ve got a fair bit of editing to do so that is bound to keep me out of trouble for a while. In the meantime you can look at the pretty picture below to lull you into a false sense of security.
17.07.10 My new work space! Finally settling into my studio, it takes a while for me to feel at home. I think I’ve put my mark on it and all I need to do now is make the work. Too many words in my head these days to ramble on much here. New work to follow…hopefully.
29.05.10: I’ve just put up a new video piece and you can watch it here. I moved into my very own studio on the 1st of May and this is hopefully the first of many pieces to be shot in my little space. I’m busy nesting and trying to make the studio feel like a home away from home. I’m almost there and when I’m done I’ll be sure to put up some photos. It’s a strange thing having a studio…a little intimidating almost. These blank walls are staring at me, taunting me, challenging me to be creative. I’m going to take it slowly though and proceed with caution. No need to make a load of rubbish just to fill in the blanks.
14.05.10: I’ve finally updated a few things on my WordPress. Firstly, one of my images was selected for the cover of Leave Us Some Unreality, a selection of works from the students currently completing the M.Phil in Creative Writing in Trinity College. Below is a sneak preview of the cover but you can see all the images by clicking here.
Below is an installation shot from Blasphemous which ran in the Irish Museum of Contemporary Art (IMOCA) over Easter. I had two video pieces in it – I need to tell you, which is pictured below and three, sixteen which can be viewed here.
24.04.10: At last I have some images up from my piece from What happens next is a secret at IMMA – click here to link to the work.
4.04.10: My work is still showing in IMMA, in the What happens next is a secret show. The show runs until the 18th of April, so check it out. I also have two video pieces in Blasphemous at IMOCA until the 25th of April. In the meantime I’ve being doing piles of administrative rubbish, which won’t be rubbish if it actually leads o further opportunities. I am also thinking it’s about time I sorted myself out with a studio. My requirements, as it turns out, are very specific. No luck yet, but the search continues.
18.03.10 Two of my video pieces have been selected for a show called Blasphemous in IMOCA (Irish Museum of Contemporary Art). It’s really important to me that the video work doesn’t get forgotten in favor of the drawing installations. To me they both come from the same place and have many things in common, but I do accept that the installations are more accessible and user-friendly and therefor attract more attention. If I ever finally get myself sorted with a studio I know I will be able to marry these two elements together far better than I have up to this point. My ultimate aim is to show the videos and installations alongside each other in a cohesive manner. For now though, I am more than happy that they each get accepted for shows even if never the twain shall meet. IMOCA is a crazy and exciting venue so it’s great to be involved in a show there. If anyone is around on Good Friday (the 2nd of April) do pop in for the opening between 6pm and 9pm.
20.02.10 One of my images has been selected for the front cover of the end-of-year publication for the MPhil in Creative Writing (Trinity College). It will distributed through Easons so it will be quite weird to see something I’ve created in a commercial environment…my work does not normally lend itself to that kind of setting. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product and to attending the book launch. I shall put images up as soon as it has all been printed and whatnot and once I’ve got my hands on a copy. Watch this space…in the meantime, check out the blog site for ‘Leave Us Some Unreality’ to find out more about the publication – just click here.
12.02.10: So here it is. Invisible is open and after a long week of literally back-breaking work my installation in IMMA is complete. Overall I think I’m quite chuffed with it and it will be interesting to see how long the work remains intact this time. I have to say a massive thank-you to Roy and Kirsteen who helped with the installation this time, I could not have done it without them. Someday I would like to be able to actually pay folks who help out! If you are heading up to IMMA you will find my work in the foyer, the colonnade and the Gordon Lambert Gallery, where What happens next is a secret is taking place. Please do leave any feedback here, good or bad! In the meantime I’m going to follow the Invisible trail myself…you can click on the link below and download a pdf version of the Invisible map if you too want to follow the trail.
Roy, helping with the installation.
Installing in extreme cold.
Installing in the foyer.
31.01.10: So Invisible is just around the corner and I am delighted to be able to say I will be installing my work in the Irish Museum of Modern Art. That took me quite by surprise. There is a really great show currently running there called What happens next is a secret and the general vibe of this show coincides nicely with Invisible. As such my piece will feature as part of both shows concurrently. This is really exciting for me and makes me re-evaluate my work and question if I push it enough? I often find myself not applying for certain things because I feel they are ‘above’ me. Maybe this is partly where I have been going wrong. Needless to say, this is a massive confidence boost and I hope I can live up to he expectations of the curators of both Invisible and What happens next is a secret. My piece will be in situ from the 12th of February and it will be fairly temporary, so catch it while you can.
15.01.10: The ‘Preponderance of The Small’ exhibition I was in, in October ’09 got a nice little review in this month VAI news-sheet. Here’s what they had to say about my work….even if my name is spelled incorrectly!
09.01.10: I’m working on a few bits and pieces to get back into the swing of things before the show in Feb. I’ve put forward a proposal for a book cover, as below.
12.12.09: It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Yes…I’m feeling a little foolish. Only days after using my blog to moan about the lack of opportunities I get an early Christmas present in the form of a SUCCESSFUL application for an open submission. Egg on my face. I am really excited about this one. It’s a mutli-venue group show with a combination of invited artists (obviously not me) and selected artists (that’d be me). In particular I’m totally amazed that my name will feature in the same breath as some of the invited artists. It’s almost overwhelming. So I should say the show is called ‘Invisible’ and it’s part of he Black Church Print Studio programme for 2010. It will open Feb. 11th so I certainly have no reason to be dragging my heels between now and then.
08.12.09: It’s officially Winter which means my brain dies a death, shrivels up and refuses to participate in any kind of artistic endeavors. I had hoped to have a deadline to work towards in the new year to get me through this black hole but alas I’ve had an incredibly unsuccessful round of open-submission applications lately. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Open submission. Open submission. They never seem quite open to me.
Once I stop feeling sorry for myself and taking it absurdly personally I’ll be able to move on. Silly me. So anyway…if you know anyone putting on a show who might like my work…let me know!
25.10.09: So, so…I’ve been working away on a few things lately and I’m just finding the time now to start uploading them. Today I am uploading a new video piece called ‘My Best Friend’. It is a work-in-progress of sorts and I’m hoping it has potential. I would like to think it will make people laugh, which let’s face it is not my usual modus operandi. I’ll leave it up to you to judge. Click here to watch it – it’s mainly dialogue so you’ll need your volume turned up.
It’s about time I updated this page me-thinks. So busy, busy times here. Straight after the NGG show I started preparing for ‘Preponderance of The Small’, a project with the Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity. I can safely say I’ve never worked so hard in my whole life. And bless, even then, without certain brilliant friends I still couldn’t have done it on my own. So after an intense few weeks and (of course!) a few drinks last night to celebrate, the work is finally up and ready for critique! I am showing my drawings in the Arts Block in Trinity. You can find out more about ‘Preponderance of The Small’ here.
If you’re having trouble finding my work, which to be honest is part and parcel of it, pop into the Douglas Hyde Gallery and the lovely people in there will tell you what to look for. In typical Hannah-style of maximum-work, minimum-impact I am expecting a lot of my pieces to last no longer than a week…they are quite transient in their nature so catch them while you can. Since you’ve read down this far I will also let you know that there are lots of hidden pieces in the space as well. So wander around the Arts Block, look closely at the walls and maybe a public telephone or water fountain and you may discover some hidden words. Happy art hunting!
Good folk helping me with the installation.
Welcome to my world. This site is my metaphysical desk space, if you will, and below is a picture of my physical desk space. My practice is multi-disciplinary (whose isn’t these days) and consists of performance-based video pieces and drawings. You will find a combination of both of these on this site. Feel free to get in touch by emailing me at the address detailed at the bottom of the screen.
hannah may breslin 
