MORE THAN 200 international artists, programmers, researchers, teachers, journalists and policy makers, have arrived in Galway to attend Fresh Street #3, Europe’s largest international seminar for street arts.
Fresh Street #3, which began on Wednesday, and continues today and tomorrow, aims to explore street arts as a tool for social, cultural, political and economic change, and will feature public street art spectacles from local, national and international companies. The seminar is presented by Circostrada, Artcena, in association with Galway 2020 and Irish Street Arts Circus and Spectacle Network.
Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D Higgins, welcomes the seminar to Galway, saying: "Street arts taking place in the shared everyday spaces so familiar to us all, peopling the public world, can help ensure this art and creativity will also take their place in the other, intangible shared spaces of our societies. As you gather to discuss the benefits and challenges associated with street art and outdoor performances, I hope it will assist you in situating your discussions in a context of inclusion and civic empowerment."
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Events taking place throughout the seminar, include three events on Inis Óirr today. Kate Boschetti and Liam Wilson, supported by the Áras Eanna Arts Centre, will create a site responsive fresh piece of work for and with the island at 3pm. Throughout today Deana Kolenciková will present New Territories, a series of drawings interrogating memory and mapping [a section from which is pictured above]. At 6pm Turas Theatre Collective will present Remnants, the choreographed story of three characters
Tomorrow sees events in Galway city. From 11.30am to 1pm, Galway Community Circus will host High Wire at the Claddagh Basin. This is a workshop as part of preparations for Wires Crossed – A Balancing Act for Europe, which plans to see 400 people cross the River Corrib and the Claddagh Basin on tightwires, as part of the Galway 2020 events.
Belgium's Studio Eclipse will present One Sink Two Float at 6pm at the Claddagh Basin, where two dancers will perform above and below the surface of the water. At 8pm there will be a performance Put a Spell in You by contemporary juggling company, Cie Maleta, at the Nuns Island Theatre.
“It’s an honour for Galway 2020 to be part of hosting such a prestigious meeting," said Helen Marriage, creative director of Galway 2020. "Art that takes place in the public realm is a powerful force for transformation; it can make people see their world differently and open to new possibilities, staying in the imagination long after the ephemeral moment has passed."
For more information see www.galway2020.ie
