DublinCulture.ie

Strictly Come Dancing at the O2 - a review

2012-02-24T10:33:00.003Z

Some would say that most things happening at the O2 (or the Point as I still call it) are not cultural, and a lot of the time, these people are right. But that doesn't mean I should review immensely popular events. Right?

I was at the second of 2 nights of the Strictly Come Dancing live tour last night. It has become an annual event with a certain group of friends. We all dress up, have dinner before, and then enjoy the show. The audience was overwhelmingly female with a fair amount of kids. There were almost no empty seats and the dance floor, smaller than previous years, was clearly visible from most areas of the venue. I hardly ever resorted to the video screens to see the dancing properly.

This year's tour featured 6 celebs from the most recent series (including the finalists: Chelsee Healy, Jason Donovan and winner Harry Judd) and one from a previous series. The 3 male judges were all present - Alesha has never done the tour and since she ~~defected~~ quit Strictly to go to Britain's Got Talent in January, she wasn't about to deviate from the norm. Each couple danced two dances (one ballroom, one latin) and were scored. The audience picks the winner by texting. There's also a couple of group dances and some professional only dances. Jason and Kristina won on the night: their Argentine Tango just pipped my dance of the evening from Harry & Aliona's super Quickstep.

I'm making it sound a little dull but it isn't. There's more glitter than a Mariah Carey album. There's more fake tan than a beauty contest. There's more cringeworthy raunchy scripted dialogue than Blind Date. It's more camp than a row of pink tents. It's FAB-U-LOUS, dahling. Will we be back next year? Absolutely.

Flux

2012-02-23T09:35:00.001Z

A new one woman play called Flux opens next Tuesday night in the Pearse Centre at the Ireland Institute*. It's written by Aoife Nic Ardghail, who also stars in the show. Daragh Thomas provides music to Jennifer Shortall's direction. Here's the blurb:

Three lives, three women, each with a separate voice and separate desires, come together to produce a powerful music. But power can corrupt. When the desire of one threatens to destroy the power of three. Can balance be restored?

The show runs nightly for one week from 28th February to 3rd March with a matinée performance Saturday. Tickets are €12 on the door or you can book on 087 9548514.

*This is the building Padraig Pearse was born and is, unsurprisingly, at 27 Pearse St, near the Garda station.

New Dublintellectual event - Uprising

2012-02-22T13:55:00.004Z

As regular readers will know, I'm a fan of Dublintellectual. Dublintellectual is one of the best things to happen to Dublin's cultural scene in recent times, their events are a lot of fun, and they're now launching a new series called 'Uprising'. Here's their description:

Dublintellectual is delighted to announce the launch of the Uprising: Young Scholars & Artists in Dialogue event series which will showcase the work of postgraduate students and young artists, writers and musicians in Dublin. The first event will take place next Thursday 23rd Feb at 19:30 in The Generator, Smithfield.

The Uprising series will involve discussions on culture, common points in research and creative work, as well as practical issues facing emerging scholars and artists and will comprise 3-5 invited presenters, discussing their research or creative work and answering audience questions.

They've said that the format will be informal and relaxed. Plus, this is a chance to check out The Generator. If you're free on Thursday, I'd recommend going along.

New exhibition in Temple Bar Gallery + Studios: 'Lights, Camera, Action!'

2012-02-21T22:58:00.005Z

A new exhibition previews from 6 pm to 8 pm on Saturday 25th February in Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, with an introductory talk by the curator before that at 5 pm. Here's how TBG+S describe the exhibition, called 'Lights, Camera, Action!':

The processes and devices employed in narrative cinema are often subsumed by the visual nature of the medium. This exhibition brings together artists whose work investigates the cinematic process; creating narratives adopted or appropriated from film and the cine-novel, the works allude to the underlying psychological aspect that is integral to the creation of tension within cinema.

The exhibition will then continue from February 28th to 31st March. Details are here.

Kathrina Rupit exhibition in Little Green St Gallery

2012-02-20T23:35:00.003Z

I have a suggestion for you: if you haven't been to an art exhibition opening night, try one out some time. Sure, it's a hit and miss affair, but it can be a lot of fun. And I have of course an example to start you off with.

There's an art gallery on the corner of Little Britain Street and Little Green Street called the Little Green Street Gallery. Fittingly for its name, this is quite a small space, and that makes it just the right size for a one-artist exhibition. Saturday 25th February is the opening night for Mexican street artist Kathrina Rupit. Here's what White Lady Art say about it:

White Lady Art is very pleased and proud to present the very first Irish solo show of Mexican street artist, Kathrina Rupit, at the Little Green St Gallery, just off Capel St. You may recognise her work from the October art show, and we loved her work so much we decided to present you with an exhibition of all of her work to date! Check out the online catalogue for a sneak peak of what will be on the walls at the show, and make a date for your diaries for the opening night...we are going to have a bevvy or two from our pals at Tiger Beer, and the lovely Jason at Fibbers Rock Bar, Ormond Quay, has arranged our after-party too. What a star! With drinks on special and an opening night of such Mexican magnitude, it's going to be a good one, folks!

Here at White Lady Art, we're into our affordable art! Kathrina's original paintings will be for sale, and not too pricey, as well as some amazing pieces done on very special industrial paper that will go for €20. These aren't your regular exhibition prints, mind, but are hand-painting originals! Who said art was expensive?!!

Where: Little Green Street Gallery, 12A Little Britain Street, Dublin 7. Free entry!

When: Saturday 25th February opening night (6-9), runs until Tuesday 28th February.

And then...?: After-party at Fibbers Rock Bar, Ormond Quay, €4 drinks including spirits (5 shots of Jägermeister for €15).

I'm looking forward to it. Cheap art and cheap beer: a winning combination.

Whiskey tasting in March

2012-02-18T14:21:00.002Z

Any whiskey drinkers in Dublin will be familiar with the Celtic Whiskey Shop on Dawson Street. They're running an Irish Whiskey Tasting event on Thursday 15th in 'Against The Grain' on Wexford Street. The start time is 7:30 pm and the price is €20, paid in advance. They'll be trying out eight whiskeys including blended whiskey, single malt whiskey, and single pot still whiskey.

Irish Composer Andrew Hamilton speaks at Trinity College

2012-02-16T23:46:00.003Z

Straight from the press release:

On Thursday, February 23rd, 2012, the Music Composition Centre at Trinity College will host a talk by internationally renowned composer Andrew Hamilton. The talk will take place from 6-8pm the Boydell Room in House 5, Trinity College.

Hamilton will focus on his recent piece "right and wrong" (2011) and will examine in detail his writing process and the various types of music that inform it.

The talk is free, but tickets must be reserved by emailing Claire Hefferon at compcent@tcd.ie.

The event is on 23rd February. More details are here.

Muse Open Mic at the Loft Bookshop

2012-02-13T22:29:00.002Z

The second Muse Open Mic is on Tuesday 14th February from 7 pm to 9 pm. Here's the description of Muse Open Mic by the organiser, poet and musician Orla Martin:

Muse Open Mic provides a showcase for poets, musicians, singers and prose writers to perform new and original material in a supportive environment. As each performer is limited to three minutes per slot, Muse Open Mic is always entertaining, sometimes thought-provoking and never dull.

Admission is free. The event is on in The Loft Bookshop in the Twisted Pepper on Middle Abbey Street.

Feeding Times at Science Gallery

2012-02-12T12:14:00.005Z

The latest exhibition from the highly acclaimed Science Gallery started on Friday. It's called Edible and its subject is food:

Who knew that a forkful of food could have such a far reaching effect? Science Gallery’s first foray into food, EDIBLE, tackles this vast topic from the perspective of the eater, probing how our actions as eaters shape what is sown, grown, harvested and consumed.

The exhibition pieces are moderately interesting (although in my opinion not a match for last year's excellent Elements) but with an exhibition about food Science Gallery has the opportunity to give visitors the chance to try out tasty and unusual foods. They've called this Feeding Time, and for just €3 you can sample the latest delicacy on offer. Today (Sunday 12th February) there are two Feeding Times, at 15:00 and 17:00, and the 'special' is carrot and sea spaghetti salad. (I had this yesterday - it's good.) Along with the main dish there are other small samples to taste, such as seaweed, cheese and preserves. Don't except a full meal; this is just a tasting. Pre-booking is advised.

The administration of Feeding Times is disappointingly burocratic. As much as I like their catchily-named tickets ("Ration Cards", right) the system seems slightly confusing to customers. Some items are free and served throughout the day; others have a cost and are at Feeding Times. Payment and Ration Cards are away from the tasting area, at the front fesk of the exhibition - not, mind you, the front desk of Science Gallery. I don't want to overstate this issue though, as it's merely a nuisance rather than a real problem.

The poor acoustics are also unfortunate, but ultimately Feeding Time is about taste, and on that count I liked it. Edible is another good exhibition from Science Gallery, and if you visit the exhibition I'd recommend going to a Feeding Time.

Festival of Russian Culture

2012-02-08T10:52:00.000Z

The Festival of Russian Culture is back for another week of cultural events from 20th - 26th February. Dublin City Council are running it in conjunction with the Russian Department at Trinity. This particular week is marks the beginning of Spring in Russia and the start of Lent, so you can expect a large pile of lovely blinis. This year's program is more comprehensive and has a decidedly family orientated base. They'll be showing a number of Russian films at the Lighthouse cinema over the week (some are part of the JDIFF). There's chess workshops all day on 23rd February. Most evenings feature a lecture on some Russian theme in Trinity. Cooks Academy in Dun Laoghaire is doing an evening on Russian cuisine. The last day is a family day all around Temple Bar on 26th February with food, stories, games and various performers. Oleg Pogudin, the famous Russian singer, will also do two concerts in the Olympia that day - it's the first time he's performed in Dublin. There's definitely something for everyone here.

Dublintellectual - Conversations on Culture

2012-02-08T09:45:00.003Z

Dublintellectual have really shifted up a gear this year. They've had two Conversations on Culture events already, and their next one is on Wendesday 15th in the Ormond Wine Bar at 20:00. They'll also have an event in early March - and then there'll be their Uprising series for younger/less qualified speakers, along with their Urban Programme.

One of the topics next week could be fascinating - "The Republican Party, American Foreign Policy and the 2012 Presidential Election".

New(ish) plays

2012-02-07T09:29:00.002Z

Firstly, I'd like to mention one of the plays currently running in Project Arts Centre, The Goddess of Liberty (pictured right), "a story of family, friendship and survival among Irish immigrants in gold-rush Alaska". I have not, unfortunately, yet had the chance to see it, but as Project Arts generally select good plays and this one was supported by Fishamble it seems right to at least mention that that the play is out until 18th February.

Secondly, Bookworms by Bernard Farrell previews this evening in the Abbey Theatre. (Unlike The Goddess of Liberty, this isn't a newly-written play.) Here's the blurb:

Everyone’s favourite book club reforms for more wine, cheese and outrageous revelations, as the hugely successful Bookworms by Bernard Farrell returns to the Abbey stage.

Tonight’s book club host, Ann, is struggling to stay calm, desperate to deliver the perfect evening of literary classics and late-night canapés. But when the all-female group invite their husbands to join the club, and a mysterious figure pays a visit from upstairs, everyone is forced to contend with a lot more than just Virginia Woolf.

Opinions are challenged; suspicions aroused and tempers flare as their daily lives unravel into a saga to rival even the wildest fiction.

The Sentinel Project

2012-02-06T15:24:00.003Z

Irish sculptor Sean Campbell's latest exhibition, The Sentinel Project, opens this coming Thursday in the crypt of Christchurch Cathedral and runs until 3rd March. It will feature pieces in steel, glass and Lego. Yes, you read that right. I can't wait to see it!

Lazy Posting

2012-02-06T10:06:00.001Z

Today's Irish Times have a feature about cut price culture. It covers the whole country but has several items of interest for Dubliners. Check it out.

Etchings exhibition - solo exhibition by Camilla Fanning

2012-02-06T09:13:00.003Z

Heartland

The exhibition runs until the end of February 2012 in Rigby's Deli & Dining Room, 126 Upper Leeson Street. Details are here.

Friday night at the National Concert Hall

2012-02-05T21:55:00.002Z

I was at the National Concert Hall on Friday night to hear the National Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven's 8th symphony and Shostakovich's 7th symphony. I'm always saying to Dave and Nina that we should cover more music but for whatever reason, we don't hear about it or we personally aren't keen. This, I was keen on. Shostakovich is my favourite composer and having lived in St. Petersburg, I have always liked his 7th symphony, which was besieged during World War II while he wrote this. And it is magnificent to hear live. There was approximately 116 musicians on the stage for it. We were sitting in the choir balcony (aka cheap seats) which meant we could see down into the orchestra and the conductor's face as he conducted. I don't know why you wouldn't always sit there! I mean seriously €10 for over 2 hours of fantastic talent. Andrew Litton was the conductor and he was brilliant. The place was mostly full and only a tiny number of people were asleep! If you've never heard an orchestra perform, then you really are missing out.

The NCH has something on most nights of the week and there is music to suit most people's ear.
Go forth and listen!

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012

2012-02-03T10:24:00.000Z

JDIFF is back and I've attempted to trawl their (as usual) incomprehensible website. I don't know why they make it so hard to find a list of all the films on one page. Stellan Skarsgard is in town to launch and apparently Al Pacino will be putting in an appearance. I was at the final movie last year (Potiche - see it, it's funny) and was annoyed at all the pretentious speech making before the movie started. Apparently, this is a feature. For me, there's not enough old movies, but I do see the original Batman movie, complete with Prince soundtrack is showing. I saw that in the Grand cinema in Fairview when I was a kid. That cinema is now a Tesco. Urgh. The Lighthouse, The Savoy, IFI and Cineworld are the main venues.

Films I want to see:

17th Feb
Womb (Eva Green clones her lover)
Damsels in Distress (sounds like Clueless crossed with Heathers)
18th Feb
Superclásico (a Danish comedy in Buenos Aires)
Albert Nobbs (filmed in Dublin, Glenn Close attending, expect this to get a mainstream release though)
19th Feb
Black Gold (Arabs fight over stuff in the 1930s - looks visually impressive)
Bel Ami (a lot of good looking people in a social climbing 1880s Paris)
22nd Feb
A Quiet Life (a hitman returns to a life he abandoned 20 years previously - the director will attend)
Stella Days (Martin Sheen is a priest in 1950s Ireland, President Bartlett himself attending)
The Day I was not born (a young woman who didn't know she was adopted discovers her past)
25th Feb
A Royal Affair (Danish royals have an affair - true story ish)
Hunky Dory (Minnie Driver in the 1970s puts on The Tempest at a school - expect a good soundtrack, probably no crisps though)
26th Feb
Bambi (bring the tissues: I don't think they've changed the story)

I might have been interested in Wilde Salome but I heard it's already sold out. Tickets went on sale last night. So here's my problem - a lot of these movies are on the same day, and have only one showing. I need to learn how to bi-locate. Obviously, I'm not going to get through even half this ambitious list of movies. Should JDIFF be putting on fewer movies and showing them a couple of times? I think it's more likely I will view some of these movies on video or not at all. First world problems, I know.

Another First Second

2012-02-01T14:48:00.002Z

Joining Temple Bar's First Thursdays*, and the OPW's First Wednesdays**, is Second Fridays at the National Library. They are informal evenings of music, talk, and writers reading pieces of their work. These events will take place in Cafe Joly from 19:00 - 22:00 and are completely free. The first event on Friday, 10th February will feature jazz from the Louis Stewart Trio and some readings. If you have a NLI reader card, you get 10% in the café too.

*Tomorrow is a First Thursday.
**Unclear if the OPW is carrying this on in 2012 as yet.

Cow's Lane returns

2012-01-31T15:19:00.002Z

Talking about Temple Bar, I see that the Cow's Lane designer "mart" is re-opening on the 4th February. The weather forecast looks like it's turning cold towards the end of the week - wrap up when you're going!

A Date With Dublin

2012-01-31T15:11:00.002Z

People have a lot of opinions about Valentine's Day. Whichever camp you belong to, you might be interested to learn that you now have the option of taking your city out for the night! A Date With Dublin is a 12-hour event taking place on 14 February in various cultural organisations across the city. Much of the activity is centred around Temple Bar. Don't let the pink livery deter you - the programme looks varied and interesting. I wouldn't mind if this became an annual occurrence.

Rush Drama Festival

2012-01-31T11:50:00.000Z

The 9th Rush Drama Festival takes place in the Millbank Theatre from 23rd February - 3rd March. The list of competing plays has just been announced. I notice a performance of Neil Simon's brilliant The Odd Couple and Friel's Dancing with Lughnasa, which I may just have to check out. Shows will run nightly at 8pm with tickets a modest €12 or €10 for block bookings available from their box office on 01 8437475 or 087 1961636 or bookings@millbanktheatre.com. Season tickets are also available at €80.

Rush Dramatic Society's current production at the Millbank is The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson. It runs until 18th February.

Exhibition - The Secret Laboratory

2012-01-30T20:54:00.003Z

The Secret Laboratory is an architectural exhibition starting in Dublin Civic Offices on Wood Quay on Tuesday 31st January and running until 17th February. From the RIAI website:

The exhibition reveals the hidden world of the architect’s sketchbook. Shown together as a selection of local, national and international architects, the exhibition reveals the ideas, observations, thoughts and reflections that are often concealed in a drawer, a coat pocket or in the individual imagination of the architect.

In our digital age the drawing and sketch still hold their value as being fundamental to artistic and theoretical practice: to record journeys, everyday objects, project development, conversations and things half seen and imagined. But what ideas do we carry with us? How do we use the ‘device’ of the sketchbook?

Dublintellectual - Conversations on Culture

2012-01-28T15:42:00.003Z

Dublintellectual are holding another of their Conversations on Culture events in the Ormond Wine Bar on Ormond Quay on Wednesday 1st February at 8 pm. As usual there'll be three speakers, and their subjects this time will be the composition of contemporary music, art in a global economy, and Sheela-na-Gigs. The event is free of charge.

I've very much enjoyed previous Dublintellectual events. The combination of a nice wine bar, interesting topics of conversation and the crowd Dublintellectual attracts creates a friendly, sociable atmosphere. It'll be a fun evening.

'I ♥ Alice ♥ I' is back

2012-01-28T14:59:00.004Z

The play I ♥ Alice ♥ I is back for another run, this time in the Abbey Theatre. I saw it last year in Project Arts Centre as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival and enjoyed it - I'd give it at least 4/5.

Tickets cost from €13 to €25. The play runs from 1st February to 18th February, with previews on 30th and 31st January. The performance time is 55 minutes.

Volta.ie - new Irish video on demand service

2012-01-26T20:48:00.004Z

Volta.ie is a new Irish online service allowing customers to view Irish and international films, with an emphasis on independent films.

One of the great challenges for independent films is distribution: there are many hopeful filmmakers but not so many distribution deals - or cinemas willing to show their works. On the internet though that sort of capacity problem ceases to apply, potentially allowing new or independent filmmakers the chance to compete on (relatively) even terms. It's a very crowded field - even Sundance are getting in on it - but I think Volta has a real chance to make an impact and help Irish film. Volta will in some cases release films on the same day they appear in cinemas, and they have a deal with RTE for distribution of the channel's dramas. Wisely, Volta have decided to let customers rent or buy individual films without needing to become subscribers; subscription might suit Netflix but it could be unattractive for customers who want to see a specific film but don't plan to watch independent films regularly.

The company behind Volta, Element Pictures, are also responsible for the recent reopening of the Light House Cinema in Smithfield. This is an interesting example of (sort of) verticle integration: make films such as The Guard, distribute them in cinemas, and also distribute them online. It's not an entirely original concept, but so what? For the sake of Irish filmmaking and Irish audiences, I hope they're successful.