At different times of the year in this city, we have a juxtaposition of people whose objectives and daily pursuits may not seem the same. There is the rollover from the Galway International Arts Festival into the Galway Races where the punters/performers in both are quite keen on dressing up and pretending they are something they are not. There is the crossover of the Solemn Novena and the fringes of Rag Week where sometimes the pursuits of one are not entirely compatible with the other.
These crossovers happen because Galway is a place where people like to gather and show what it is that motivates them, what drives them to do what they do and believe what they wish to believe. This happens because there is always something interesting going on here, a perhaps inevitable consequence of many people heading west and being struck by the creative bug that inspires them to organise festivals.
In the coming days and weeks, we have another fascinating juxtaposition when the city will be crawling with cartoonists and architects. (now you see why there is a caricature of myself in mid-text. Thanks to Jim Cogan for that ). These are both professions that are necessary in society, professions that go back through the ages, each providing the other with ample stimulation for the pursuit of excellence.
The Galway Cartoon Festival runs from tomorrow (Friday Sept 29 to October 4 ) Since its inception six years ago, the event has been on a mission to bring the art of cartooning, caricature and illustration to the west of Ireland, and to make the gathering an important fixture in the calendar of international pop art.
All the festival events are completely free to the public. For full details on this year’s Galway Cartoon Festival programme, visit galwaycartoonfestival.ie
Then there is the Architecture on the Edge event, also opening tomorrow and running until October 8. Like the Cartoon Festival, it is also a relative newcomer to the calendar, but in the years since its establishment, it has carved quite a name for itself.
This year, the festival is set to have the perfect host for its showcase exhibitions, with a range of works to be displayed at the Printworks Gallery, Galway, for the duration of the event. This is the first time the festival will have a dedicated space for architecture. It will feature work from over a dozen individual artists/ architectural practices such as Valerie Mulvin,(McCullough Mulvin Architects ), BothAnd Group, Aidan Conway, (MarMar architects ), Peter Carroll, (A2 Architects ).
From the events of Paris some years ago, we know how much of an impact cartoonists have on society and how they have a big influence on the way different groups of people look at each other. When used for the benefit of society, they can encourage us to look critically at ourselves, and increase our empathy for the sufferings and frustrations of others. They can ridicule where they feel necessary, but they also have a responsibility that a dignity is maintained. Political cartoons are powerful spaces in which negotiations of power and resistance are expressed. They provide insights into power relations, key social issues and events. By mocking or ridiculing the excesses and failings of elites, cartoonists can hold leaders accountable.
We need architects likewise to become responsible for spaces and to creatively imagine the spaces in which we live, but to do so in a manner that discourages exclusion and enables. To create places for all. We need cartoonists to ridicule us when we are being ridiculous.
Do your bit to encourage both professions if you come across any of the events in the coming week. We welcome them all to Galway and we hope that their familiarity with the place will lead to them being inspired to make it an even better place to live, work and play.
