The Intentional Selection Festival 2024

The Intentional Selection Festival 2024:

I was truly delighted to have been approached by the Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar to organize and curate a Contemporary Collage Festival in their building during the Summer of 2024. With the assistance of Una Gildea, Silvio Severino and support of the incredible Irish and international collage community we were able to pull together an amazing programme of events for the festival.

Through the exhibition itself, a series of workshops, a screening of international collage animations, and the regular meetings of the Connacht Collage Collective which were hosted at the Linenhall Arts Centre throughout the Summer of 2025; we invited curious members of the public to engage with the medium of collage and to join us as welcome participants in all that this vibrant and exciting medium has to offer.

Collage has a rich history spanning from the advent of paper making in China in approximately 100AD; through being considered as a form relief sculpture during the renaissance period due to its layering and depth; being utilized as a foundational Cubist, Surrealist and Dadaist technique during the early twentieth century, featuring in the later Pop Art and Fluxus movements; to becoming the vibrant, versatile and engaging contemporary art practice that it is today.

Collage is truly a medium for our time, allowing a practitioner to move through a process of destruction and fragmentation, into an embodied practice of reconstruction, of meaning making and repair.  It is a physical enactment of making sense of the world around us, of grounding ourselves through our hands and our eyes into a present moment creative process.

Collage by its very nature is a medium that is easy to pick up and satisfying to explore.  This quality alongside ease of access to necessary materials and a supportive culture of experimentation and improvisation has allowed the medium to flourish into a democratic and global artistic movement.

From their intentional selection of materials, through their intuitive choices, right on to a finished piece, the Collagist uses techniques of juxtaposition, disjunction, recontextualization, humour and surprise to transform varied source materials into something new and dynamic. Collage works weave images, text and underlying meanings together to reflect on society and politics, personal or familial history, or to convey some other new understanding about the world.  This versatility of process allows a Collagist to engage with a vast range of materials such as advertising and newspaper ephemera, historical and familial archives, scientific illustrations, fragments of textiles, wood and ceramics or anything else at hand.  

To honour the versatility of this medium the Intentional Selection Festival had no unifying theme, but instead offered the audience an introduction to the range and possibility of collage as it is being practiced in Ireland today.

The Intentional Selection Exhibiting Artists 2024 were:
Adrian & Shane, Adrienne Geoghegan, Alan Murphy, Aleksandra Schulte, Anthony D Kelly, Aoife Carroll, Betty Gannon,
Carol White, Cas Mc Carthy, Celina Buckley, Cheryl Murphy Kelly, Clare Siobhan Walsh, Ciara O Connor, Colin Eaton, David Ryan, Derval Dunford, Eleanor Jones, Eve Kimmerling, Frantic Sally, Gavin Mc Crea, GUBU Man,
Izabela Szczutkowska, Kate Hodmon, Mags Duffy, Micheal Mc Laughlin, Michelle Granville, Padraig Spillane,
Paul Mac Cormaic, Red Fox Press, Ruby Staunton, Sarah Deane, Silvio Severino, Sorcha Mc Namara, Tatyana Feeney, Tom Doig, Una Gildea, Valerie Asiimwe Amani.

The ‘Words in Motion: Collage, Poetry and Publication’ Panel Discussion:
As part of our exploration into the potential of Collage as a medium we opened a panel discussion and special event on Collage, Poetry and Publication. We were delighted to have REDFOXPRESS attend in the lobby of the Linenhall Arts Center. REDFOXPRESS are a dynamic duo based in Dugort, Achill, Co.Mayo and their beautiful art books have risen to international prominence. I was joined on stage by the poetic collagist Eve-Marie Kimmerling and live by satellite by Ric Kasini Kadour founder of Kolaj Institute and Magazine; for a rich and vitalizing discussion of the intersections and opportunities which arise amongst these practices.

This panel discussion can be viewed by clicking here.

The Intentional Selection 2024 ‘Moving Collage’ Animation Screening:
Another application of Collage work which yields wonderful results is in the field of animation. To honour this we held a double screening of international collage animations in the Linenhall Art Centre’s theater and cinema space.

Screening Artists were:
‘Black Coffee’ – Music Video - Marta Janik (POLAND) - Run Time: 2m 58s
‘Catching the Fish’ – Working Method - Schrieck (FRANCE)– Run Time: 2m 14s
“The Last Performance’ – Carlos David – Run Time: 1m 03s
‘Finn’ – Music Video for ‘The Nualas’ - Una Gildea (IRELAND) – Run Time: 3m 43s
‘Three Kings’ – Martina aka Kosmo Nauty (POLAND) – Run Time: 0m 44s
‘Work in Progress’-  David Crunelle (BELGIUM) - Run Time:  3m 39s
‘Pothole in the Sky’ – Music Video – Jason Kearney (IRELAND) – Run Time:  3m 56s
‘Working Method’ - Ria Bauwens (BELGIUM) – Run Time:  0m 53s
‘International Loop Conspiracy’ – Animated Collage - Silvio Severino (IRELAND) – Run Time: 5m 15s
“SPARKS” – Una Gildea (IRELAND) – Run Time: 3m 20s
‘Fetes’ – Seasonal – Stephen Tierney (AUSTRALIA & MEXICO) – Run Time: 3m 23s
‘Transit’ – Music Video - Aline Helmcke (GERMANY) – Run Time: 4m 26s
‘Bordo: Zvezde v Mlaju’ - Music Video - Maruša Štibelj (SLOVENIA) – Run Time: 4m 00s
‘April’s Dancing’ – Moving Collage - Una Gildea (IRELAND) – Run Time:  3m 07s
‘Bordo: Lai Lai svet’ - Music Video - Maruša Štibelj (SLOVENIA) - Run Time:  3m 56s
‘Calibro 35’ – Music Video - Aline Helmcke (GERMANY) – Run Time: 3m 05s
‘Untitled’ - Music Video – Kirill Abdrakhmanov (GERMANY) – Run Time: 3m 39s
‘Majewska Koneserzy Kolejnego’ – Music Video - Marta Janik (POLAND) – Run Time:  3m 55s
‘Once There Was a Girl’ - Moving Collage - Una Gildea (IRELAND) – Run Time:  3m 05s

The Intentional Selection 2024 Workshop Programme:
Last, but certainly not least the Intentional Selection Festival 2024 featured a rich programme of workshops and activities to engage with and delight the creative and creatively curious within our community at large.

Featured Workshops:
Collage in Irish with Miriam Byrne: Held on Fri 12th of July 2024, at 11.00am.
Ceardlann dhátheangach – le ealaíontóir Miriam Byrne. Collage le comhrá agus craic. Bain úsáid as do chuid Gaeilge (cupla focal no níos mo) agus bígí linn.Tá fáilte roimh gach leibhéal ó thosaitheoirí go líofa.
Collage with chat and craic. All levels were welcome, from beginner to fluent Irish speakers.

Magic Forest Childrens Collage Workshop in Ukrainian with Mariia Levada: Held on Wed 24th of July, at 11.00am.
Майстер клас «Чарівний ліс»With Mariia Levada. Розвиток дрібної моторики, творчого мислення та уяви у дітей. Ознайомлення з технікою аплікації .

Family Art Sessions with Ruby Staunton, Aleksandra Schulte and Isaac Hardesty: Fri 26th of July at 11.00am & 1.30pm.
Family Art Sessions. In these art sessions children and their adults were guided by Alek, Isaac & Ruby our Linenhall Community Artists, on how to create together. A memorable and enjoyable experience for all.

Let’s Dance Collage Workshop With Una Gildea: Held on Sat 31st of August at 12.00pm- 2.00pm
 ‘Let's Dance!’ Collage Workshop with Una Gildea. In this fun workshop participants guided in creating a collage inspired by their favourite dance moves. Swing, Jive, Ballet, Disco – what’s your move?
All materials, and music, provided! No previous experience was required!

Design Your Own Album Cover Workshop with Silvio Severino: Held on Sat 7th of September, 1.00pm -3.00pm.
‘Design Your Own Album Cover Workshop’ with Silvio Severino. A workshop that fused music and art. Participants were inspired by your favourite records; and explored cutting, tearing, image montage, découpe collage and more!

Connacht Collage Collective Meetings:
Our regular monthly meetings of the Connacht Collage Collective hosted by Anthony D Kelly were held in the community room of the Linenhall Arts Centre in tandem with the festival events.