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EVA International announce launch of Dha Theanga

Dha Theanga – Justyna Cwojdzińska pictured above with audio artist Diarmuid McIntyre of Grey Heron Media, is one of the local participants taking part. Picture: Deirdre Power

EVA International announce launch of Dha Theanga

Dha Theanga

Liam Murray pictured above is a Senior Lecturer in French and Language Technologies at the University of Limerick.

EVA International is delighted to announce details for the launch of Dha Theanga – a new platform of multi-language audio responses which have been developed in relation to the 39th EVA International exhibition programme. They will all be available on EVA’s website from November 19, 2020.


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The 39th EVA International takes its reference from the “Golden Vein’, a 19th-century descriptor for the agricultural bounty of the Limerick region and seeks to address ideas of land and its contested values in the context of Ireland today; extending to broader questions of how we relate to the land in terms of ideology, identity, and resource.  

The Dha Theanga project has engaged with local multi-linguists in Limerick to explore a creative mediation of the exhibition programme that has resulted in audio responses in the languages of Nigerian Pidgin English, Catalan, Polish and Irish. The project has sought to both expand EVA’s reach to language communities other than English, while also giving evidence and opportunity to the creative language abilities that exist within the local community of Limerick. It is part of an international partnership between EVA and MagiC Carpets, a Creative Europe platform which creates opportunities for emerging artists to embark on journeys with local artists and local communities. 

Local participants include Ajibola S. Abiodun, a creative writer and blogger; Marta Giralt, Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Spanish in the School of Modern Languages, University of Limerick; Justyna Cwojdzińska, a theatre performer, cultural activist and founder and artistic director of Polish Arts Festival in Limerick; and Liam Murray, Senior Lecturer in French and Language Technologies at the University of Limerick.

The responses have been created to reflect personal connections that participants have made with the artworks, thematics and exhibiting spaces during their engagement. Each audio piece has been developed and produced in collaboration with Grey Heron Media, award winning audio and film producers based in Kilfinane in county Limerick, whose projects are rooted in community and informed by location.

Director of EVA International, Matt Packer says: “Dhá Theanga is an important project for EVA International, continuing our commitment to thinking outside the box and seeking opportunities for making our work (and contemporary arts more generally) accessible to new audiences. At a time of lockdowns and travel restrictions, when the world seems to have shrunken, the contributors in the Dhá Theanga project reminds us of how we can continue to connect to different language communities, while fostering curiosity and creativity in language interpretation.”

This project is part of the MagiC Carpets Platform co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.  Dhá Theanga is an EVA Better Words initiative, which empowers new forms of access and engagement with contemporary art in a bid to overcome some of the access barriers surrounding language that can often limit the broader engagement with contemporary art.   

 

About EVA International:

EVA International is Ireland’s Biennial of Contemporary Art.  EVA leads in the commissioning and curating of contemporary art by Irish and international artists, culminating in a programme of artistic encounters, exhibitions, and education projects, that takes place every two years across venues in Limerick city and beyond. EVA’s vision is ‘To lead in creating experiences and encounters of world-class contemporary art that activate Limerick as a place of creative endeavour and cultural destination’.

39th EVA International : Phase 1:

Taking its reference from the “Golden Vein’, a 19th-century descriptor for the agricultural bounty of the Limerick region, the 39th EVA International programme seeks to address ideas of land and its contested values in the context of Ireland today; extending to broader questions of how we relate to the land in terms of ideology, identity, and resource.  Featuring venue and non venue-based presentations, Phase 1 includes elements of the Guest Programme, Little did they know, curated by Merve Elveren, alongside artists commissions developed through EVA’s Platform Commissions and Partnership Project Initiatives.  For further information, go HERE

About Dhá Theanga Participants:

Ajibola S. Abiodun is a creative writer, blogger and the founder of A.S. Fortress, a blog designated to empower and enlighten people via literature and philosophy. He is a lover of wisdom, arts and culture with a vested interest in their promotion and exploration. Other than studying Philosophy and English literature at the University of Limerick, Ajibola is a staunch student of life who is learning from daily life experiences.

Justyna Cwojdzińska is a Polish native, theatre performer, cultural activist, founder and artistic director of Polish Arts Festival in Limerick. She made Limerick her home and strongly believes in integration and mutual understanding through the means of art. Her vision for Limerick is to challenge, optimise and showcase through arts the outstanding potential of artistic capabilities that exist within the Limerick communities.

Marta Giralt, PhD, is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and Spanish in the School of Modern Languages and Applied Linguistics at the University of Limerick. She teaches Spanish and researches in Intercultural communication and CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning). She loves languages and is native in Catalan and Spanish.

Liam Murray, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in French and Language Technologies at UL with a deep interest in the Irish language and contemporary poetry.  He has been teaching and researching in French for over 25 years agus ag spalpadh na Gaeilge le fada an lá.

 

For other EVA International stories go HERE

For more information on EVA International go HERE

Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.