Kilkenny County Council Arts Office is delighted to announce a major new initiative that will complement and preserve the impact of its recently commissioned public art programme: a high-quality, full-colour publication documenting the creative journeys behind the five pioneering public art projects across the county.
This publication will serve as a permanent record of the artworks, highlighting not only the final pieces but also the intricate processes, collaborations, and imaginative thinking that brought them to life. Building on the success of the original commissions, this project provides a platform for Ireland’s leading contemporary writers to engage directly with each artwork, producing essays that respond to and interpret the commissioned works.
Curated Literary Responses to Public Art
Under the guidance of Brendan Mac Evilly, the current Emerging Curator in Development at Kilkenny Arts Office, five literary writers have been selected to document each of the five commissions. Brendan Mac Evilly, author and editor of arts magazine Holy Show, will serve as project editor and curator. He will oversee the collaboration between writers, artists, and visual documentarians to ensure the resulting publication captures the full creative scope of each commission.
The commissioned writers, each responding imaginatively to their assigned project, are:
- Sara Muthi, curator and writer based in Dublin, will respond to Brown Mountain Diamond’s commission ‘Rural Life’, involving six month-long residencies in North Kilkenny. Each residency is a collaboration with local communities to create new work toward an exhibition launching at BMD on 12 October. Sara, who is Curator of Visual Art at Brown Mountain Diamond and guest Education Curator at the Hugh Lane, brings a critical and historical perspective to her essay, situating the residency within the broader context of contemporary visual culture.
- Gustav Parker Hibbett, award-winning poet and essayist, will document Fearghus Ó Conchúir’s project Extra Time’, a dance film celebrating Kilkenny’s rich hurling and camogie traditions. Gustav, whose first poetry collection High Jump as Icarus Story (Banshee Press, 2024) won the John Pollard Prize and was nominated for the T.S. Elliott Prize, will explore the intersections of movement, competition, and narrative in Ó Conchúir’s work.
- Annemarie Ní Churreáin, poet from the Donegal Gaeltacht and poetry editor at The Stinging Fly, will respond to Straymaker’s ‘CÓRA’, a multidisciplinary project blending choral music, documentary, poetry, design, and animation to explore the living traces and traditions of Irish healing practices. Annemarie’s previous collections include Bloodroot (Doire Press, 2017) and The Poison Glen (Gallery Press, 2021).
- Orla Mackey, writer and teacher based in Kilkenny and author of the debut novel Mouthing (Penguin UK, 2024), will document Asylum Production, ‘The Alice Project’, a theatrical exploration of the legend of Alice Kytler and Petronella. Orla’s work has been recognised by the Exeter Novel Prize, the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair.
- Jane Clarke, award-winning poet and editor of Windfall: Irish Nature Poems to Inspire and Connect (Hachette Books Ireland, 2023), will respond to Pauline O’Connell’s From Hide to Heel, a cinematic exploration of Kilkenny’s industrial and agricultural heritage, including the Padmore & Barnes site and the old Cattle Mart. Jane is the author of three poetry collections, most recently A Change in the Air (Bloodaxe, 2023).
A Rich Archive of Creativity
The print publication will be enhanced by contributions from photographers and visual artists, documenting each stage of the commissions—from conception, through production to final presentation. The resulting book will include an Editor’s Note, Foreword, and introductions from the Arts Office, curators, and managers involved, creating a cohesive narrative of Kilkenny’s dynamic Public Arts programme.
“Public art can often be thought of as static monuments along a motorway,” says Mary Butler, Arts Officer at Kilkenny County Council. “But through these five commissions, we are demonstrating the extraordinary range, ambition, and community engagement that public art can achieve. This publication will provide a lasting record of these projects, capturing both the artworks themselves and the imaginative, literary interpretations they inspired.”
By pairing Ireland’s foremost contemporary writers with innovative public art commissions, this initiative ensures that the ephemeral and time-based aspects of these projects are preserved for future audiences. The publication will be freely available throughout Kilkenny and online, offering a rare insight into the intersection of art, literature, and community engagement.
Further information on Kilkenny’s current Public Arts Progamme can be accessed here: https://kilkennyartsoffice.ie/new-public-arts-programme-for-kilkenny/
Programme manager Vincent O’ Shea
Contact the Arts Office at:
Mary Butler, Arts Officer, Kilkenny County Council: mary.butler@kilkennycoco.ie
Kathy Conlan, Assistant Arts Officer, Kilkenny County Council: kathy.conlan@kilkennycoco.ie
