Galway Advertiser 1992/1992_08_13/GA_13081992_E1_020.pdf 

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THAT'S

ENTERTAINMENT

A R T I F A C T
"A Beginning": The Mixed-Media Work of Catherine Harper at The Arts Centre Gallery
In the catalogue notes for her current exhibition "A Beginning" at the Arts Centre Gallery, 47 Dominick Street (until August 27th), Catherine Harper says about the bogland near her Co. Deny family home that: ' 'It is the Irish landscape most familiar to me. I've always enjoyed being out in bogland - the colours, smells, animals...And the bog encompasses a pagan spirituality that I'm drawn to - a rawness and darkness, a kind of microcosm of life and death. Increasingly too, the bog had become our symbol for the need for us to preserve our wn environment against unchained commercialism. " The eloquent clarity and strength of this statement is much like Catherine's work itself, which ranges from highly skillful pencil draw ings of mysterious faces to installations combining fabrics, hand-made paper, bones, twigs and wool to mixed-media "wall sculpture". Many of the pieces in her show reveal a macabre beauty and highly inventive use of materials in their powerful references to bogs and the ancient bodies that have been discovered in them. Catherine's triangularshaped drawing "Wicklow Nerthus" takes the name in its title from a prehistoric female diety of fertility, fecundity and strength and appears to be copied from her installation "Nerthus" which, with its actual bones, twigs and pieces of turf, ap pears as if the top foot or so of a piece of bog had been brought into the gallery. "Stewing in Her Own Juices" is a disturbingly powerful evocation of the sort of bog bodies of women who perhaps were ritually murdered and whose amaz ingly well-preserved re mains have been found in numerous sites in Denmark, England, Czechoslovakia and Ireland. Her wall sculpture "That Treacherous Lecherous One" is a frightening shaman-like form whose ac tual jawbone and bleached white teeth contrast sharply with its browned head and earth-coloured extending arms, trailing robes of ropes and ending in two sticks for hands. This work exudes a primodial force that is quite unsettling. In the upstairs gallery, Catherine Harper's "Ourselves Alone" and "The Lovers" are a depar ture from her other work in that they are somewhat more forced and synthetic. Their half-figure, half-zombie-like forms lack the inventive depth of her other work. Whereas her "Concepta Immaculata" is an exceptional tour de force consisting of a pale, vertical form, mounted on the wall at the corner of the gallery room on the left, and made up of complex textures of wood and paper. These cascade down from the wall into waves of wool that ripple across the floor, creating a symmetrical, pro vocative form. Catherine Harper's work has the essence of what we expect from a serious creative artist. It reveals her ability to respond deeply to a source of inspiration and to express that response with great inventiveness and skill in a particular choice of visual means. Her forms have a special visual authority that draws us deeply into the world of the bogland, with all its rich ar chaeological treasures, female associations and textural variety. Don't miss this exceptional exhibition by one of Ireland's outstanding artists.
F e B ze r d al r

GALWAY MAN IN FRIEL'S WEST END SMASH

MARIMBA MAMBO
The gig was bill ed as a celebration and that it most certainly was. The Balafon Marimba Ensemble send you home happy with their infectious African rhythms and Caribbean and Using percussion, drums, Latin American sounds. sticks, cowbells, scratchers E.K. & shakers, congas and bongoes, chants, whistles The Balafon Marimba Ensemble brought their special blend of Afro/Latin music to Setanta last Satur day. Described by Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead as "...a real party band", the Ensemble more than liv ed up to expectations by suc cessfully introducing the rhumba to Setanta. and a range of marimbas from baritone to soprano, they create a music exuding sunshine and causing smiles.

This week "That's Entertainment" asked folk fan and critic Pat Collins to have a listen to two new releases by well known Galway traditional musicians - "The Better The stunning take their Match, the debut CD by Parson's Hat , and John 'Roll 'n' Tumble Revue' to the Aran Islands next week Faulkner's Nomads . Here's what he had to say... Based in Galway and performing together for over two as part of a short Irish tour prior to dates in the U.K. years. Parson's Hat's debut CD The Better Match is a and North America during marvellous representation of their work to date. It's pep September and October. pered with some seldom heard songs which are tenderly The Irish dates take in revitalised here. The production is superb throughout, a coastal shows in Dingle, subtle blend of refined tunes and restrained instrumenta Tramore and Ballybunion tion. Parson's Hat draw on many sources for their music, from before finishing with a headline appearance at baroque to old English and Irish songs, conjuring up im Cork's Lark by the Lee on ages of bards and banquets. It's a meditative album and Sunday August 30th. The proves to be a mellow start to the day and end to an even Aran show is in Kilronan on ing. So don't expect tunes of break-neck speed, just sit back Wednesday next August and enjoy. 19th at 9 p.m. and it is a It begins well with a sprightly "Aililiu na Gamhna" sung benefit gig for the local by Brid ni Chartain, whose harp playing is excellent community centre. Ticket throughout. Brid has a rich melodic voice, perfect in its information from 091 61104 clarity and execution, which can be haunting when sing and information on transpor ing in Irish. Fred Johnston accompanies well on guitar and tation from Aran Ferries at is also an accomplished singer. He also sings, in my opi 091 68903. Bi Ann. nion, the best track on the album, "The Charming Banks of Tweed", a song from Berwickshire that tells a tragic tale and has, fittingly, a melancholic air which Fred sings with just the right amount of emotion. An extra benefit of the album is the very helpful (and educational) account of the various origins of the songs. This sort of thing should be made compulsory for every traditional album as it certainly adds an extra dimension to the over all appreciation of the material. Though all the tunes are worth listening to, sometimes they are but pleasant interaptions of the songs. An obvious exception, however, is "Planxty Robinson", written in honour of Mary the President, containing some great whis tle playing from Janet Sutton and Paul Wilkins. The lat A Galway man Aidan Dooley, the youngest member of the Dooiey ter's "The Green Bowl", written on piano, is a simple but lovely tune and it family of 72 Fr. Burke Road, is presently appearing in the highly the album. "Lord adds greatly to the variety of styles on Franklin" is another lovely song, sung praised new production of one of Brian Friel's early successes, by Fred. The air, the sleevenotes say, is similar to "The "Philadelphia Here I Come", at Wyndham's Theatre in London's Croppy Boy", a song of the '98 Rebellion. Bob Dylan must be familar with one of the two songs, such is the similarity west End. of airs and words (and I said that!). His acting credits include These days, it seems, If you're a fan of traditional music, you will love this "Comedians" for East One playwright Brian Friel Productions, Demetrius and new release, and if you aren't, it may well spark off an can do no wrong. " D a n Mark Antony for Play on interest. I don't know of many groups who perform in this cing at Lughnasa" has Words Theatre Company, a style and it's very refreshing to listen to, as well as being been s h o w e r e d with British Council Tour of a feast of great musicianship. awards and Friel himself It took several listens to John Faulkner's Nomads before Japan with "Four has been widely hailed by Corners", and a National I could arrive at any conclusion. If I had decided on first critics on both sides of Prison Tour with the impressions I would have had to have slated it. But gradual the Atlantic as probably Breathless Theatre ly it slowly dawned on me that it was a "grower", but, the finest and most Company. He has also I might add. only some of it. John Faulkner's aspirations are noble, tracing "some challenging contem appeared in Sheridan's porary dramatist. And "The Rivals" at Thorndike of the musical links from the Isle of Skye to the Louisiana the new production of Theatre, Leatherhead, and bayous". This musical journey, contained under the title in "The Life of Thomas "Into the Mist" (tracks 1 to 7) are more attainable and ge Friel's "Philadelphia Here I C o m e " has once in the Allied Irish Bank, Crapper" (the man who nuinely enjoyable than the rest. They are more varied in more had the critics Grafton Street, for five invented the flush loo!) for style, from cajun to Scottish ballads, and give the musi cians more opportunity to let loose. reaching for t h e i r years after completing his Spectrum Theatre Projects. The list of musicians assembled is certainly impressive, superlatives in praising Leaving Certificate. During He has also done radio plays his time in Dublin he got for the BBC, most recently including such luminaries as Gerry O'Connor, Dolores this tragi-comic look at "The Victorians". Aidan Keane and Marie Bhreathnach, and Brendan O'Regan pro the old Irish problem of involved with an amateur drama group, The Mercury and his wife Miriam now duces as well as displaying his considerable musical talents. emigration. I had listend to "Young Monroe" twice before I realis their own Players, and discovered that have Shakespearean Company ed that there was no instrument but Faulkner's voice, his he really enjoyed acting. Aidan Dooley, who takes When he was transferred which does workshops all harmonies overlapping, weaving in and out, and creating the part of Tom in the cur a full, melodic sound. The tunes swing from lazy waltzes to the London A.LB. he over England. rent production, joins to lively reels and are played with great vitality when this found that his interest in the theatrical stalwarts like theatre, far from staying in Aidan's parents are very is called for. "Le reel de pendu" would be a great tune Eamon Kelly, Pauline the background, began to proud of their son's success live, but here is has the energy and gusto required, and Delany, Patrick Duggan, grow, and he started in "Philadelphia Here I "Je suis orphanin" is a charming waltz, authentically sung Frank Dunne and DenL attending Morley College Come" and are travelling by Sean Nation, one of the "foremost experts on Cajun Quilligan. Meanwhile, workshops on weekends. over to London on August music in Ireland". Jonathan Aran, who plays The weakest link on the album is some of the songs. Finally he decided to 20th to see the show. With Public Gar, and Brendan leave the safety of a career the kind of praise this new Though "I Loved a lass" and "The Flower of Finae" are has been lovely melodic ballads, some others fail to rise above blandCoyle as Private Gar, have in the bank for the uncertain production both been tipped for major but exciting world of acting. receiving, it looks like ness - even O'Connor's banjo fails to salvage "Child awards for their Aidan was awarded a Aidan may be making the Owlet", and there is something vital lacking in "The Jol scholarship to Guildford hop across the Atlantic if ly Bold Robber". Still, there are plenty of genuine reasons performances. Aidan, who is a former Drama College where he plans materialise for a for liking this album. It is, on balance, a very satisfying Broadway ran next year. work. pupil of the "Bish", worked met his wife, Miriam.

PARSON'S HAT'S "THE BETTER MATCH" STUNNING'S and JOHN FAULKNER'S "NOMADS" SHORT IRISH TOUR