Eileen Fair

English Version Follows

Bhain an t-ealaíontóir ildisciplíneach Eileen Fair, atá lonnaithe i nGaillimh, BA (Onóracha) in Ealaín Chomhaimseartha – cleachtas 3D amach, ag fáil Gradam Sármhaitheas Acadúil 2023 an ATU.

Mar ealaíontóir atá dall ó thaobh an dlí de, thug sí a tríú bliain san ATU do shaothar a chruthú a d’ardódh feasacht ar chaillteanas radhairc agus daille. Ba iad Saolta Arts, Ospidéal na hOllscoile Gaillimh, a d’óstáil an t-uafás oibre sin dá taispeántas deireadh bliana i mí Bealtaine/Meitheamh 2022.

Aistríodh leath den taispeántas aonair féinchoimeádaithe sin Through the Eye of a Needle go díreach chuig leabharlann champas an ATU agus tá sé fós le feiceáil, in éineacht le hirisí cruthaitheacha agus taighde an ealaíontóra. Idir an dá linn, tá a léachtaí aoi, cur i láthair PowerPoint agus scríbhneoireacht acadúil á roinnt ag a léachtóirí ar mhaithe le mic léinn amach anseo.

Faigheann Eileen inspioráid ón dúlra ach tá speis aici i gcúrsaí sóisialta chomh maith. De ghnáth bíonn a cuid taighde mionchúiseach agus a fiosracht nádúrtha ag dul i ngleic le réimsí na healaíne, na heolaíochta, na cinéitic agus na luibheolaíochta. Déanann sí cur síos ar a cuid spéiseanna iolracha mar “giúmar na huaire” b’fhéidir ag bogadh ó phéinteáil ainmhí in olaí lá amháin, go dtí cnuasach ‘réad aimsithe’ an chéad lá eile.

Tá boinn buaite ag an ealaíontóir cumasach ilghnéitheach seo agus dhá ‘Dhuaiseanna Rogha an Phobail’ in Bloom as a cóiriú bláthanna dealbhóireachta. Tá saothar meán measctha Eileen réamhroghnaithe ag Taispeántais Bhliantúla an RHA agus an RUA, agus roghnaigh agus dhíol an RHA a bróidnéireacht in 2022.

Tá an-tábhacht ag baint le hábharthacht don ealaíontóir seo. Is minic a nascann a cuid oibre ábhair bhunúsacha in aice láimhe le réada aimsithe claonta, rud a fhágann cruthuithe atá níos áille nó níos doimhne sa dara saol.

Tugann taispeántas iarchéime Eileen, Ethereal Playground, atá ar taispeáint sa Gailearaí faoi láthair, aghaidh ar oidhreacht na n-institiúidí máithreacha agus leanaí in Éirinn. Ghlac an pobal go mór leis, cuireadh ar an ngearrliosta do Ghradam Cónaitheachta Dánlann 126 é agus cuireadh ar an liosta fada é do Ghradaim Amharcealaíona an RDS 2023.

Mothaíonn sí go mór leis an tionchar a bhí ag an stair chráite seo ar mharthanóirí agus a dteaghlaigh agus leanfaidh sí ag tacú leo agus iad ar thóir aitheantas, dí-adhlacadh, adhlacthaí dínit, ceartas aisiríoch agus cuimhneacháin chuí.

I bhfocail an staraí agus gníomhaí iomráiteach Catherine Corless: “Eileen...tá tú tar éis muid a thabhairt go croílár tragóid na leanaí i dTuaim.”

Galway based multi-disciplinary artist Eileen Fair has just completed her BA (Hons) in Contemporary Art – 3D practice, also receiving the ATU Academic Excellence Award 2023.

As a legally blind artist, she dedicated her third year in ATU to creating work that would raise awareness about sight loss and blindness. That immense body of work for her end-of-year exhibition was hosted by Saolta Arts, Galway University Hospital, through May/June 2022.

Half of that self-curated solo exhibition Through the Eye of a Needle was transferred directly to the ATU campus library and remains on view, alongside the artist’s creative and research journals. Meanwhile, her guest lecturing, PowerPoint presentations and academic writing are being shared by her lecturers for the benefit of future students.

Eileen is inspired by nature but equally concerned about social issues. Her meticulous researchand natural curiosity usually find her delving into realms of art, science, kinetics and botany. She describes her multiple interests as “the mood of the moment” perhaps moving from an animal painting in oils one day, to a ‘found object’ assemblage the next.

This diversely talented artist has won medals and two ‘People’s Choice Awards’ in Bloom for her sculptural floral arrangements. Eileen has had her mixed-media work pre-selected by the RHA and RUA Annual Exhibitions, and her embroidery was selected and sold by the RHA in 2022.

Materiality matters to this artist. Her work often combines rudimentary materials juxtaposed with subverted found objects, resulting in creations that are more beautiful or more profound in their second life.

Eileen’s graduate exhibition Ethereal Playground boldly addresses the legacy of mother and baby institutions in Ireland. It has been well received by the public, also being short-listed for a 126 Gallery Residency Award and long-listed for the RDS Visual Arts Awards 2023.

She feels very moved by the impact this harrowing history has had on survivors and their families and will continue to support them in their quest for acknowledgement, exhumation, dignified burials, restorative justice and appropriate memorialisation.

In the words of the esteemed historian and activist Catherine Corless: “Eileen ... you have brought us to the core of the tragedy of the Tuam babies.”

Taim Haimet

English Version Follows

Chríochnaigh Taim Haimet céim Onóracha san Ealaín Chomhaimseartha in 2023 agus tá sí faoi láthair ag déanamh Máistreachta i gCleachtas Cruthaitheach san ATU, Gaillimh.

Rugadh sa Fhrainc de thuismitheoirí Siria, déanann saothar Taim Haimet iniúchadh ar oidhreacht féiniúlachta an Mheán-Oirthir atá fite fuaite go domhain le stair an choilíneachais, an chogaidh leanúnaigh agus an chaillteanais. Tá an cheist faoin áit a gcuirimid an nóisean ‘Naofa’ ar a bhfuil caillte, nó ar a bhfuil fágtha, ina n-aonar nó i dteannta a chéile, ag croílár a cuid taighde.

Ag tarraingt as béaloideas Arabach, filíocht agus misteachas, samhlaíonn sí ‘spásanna naofa’ inar féidir na scéalta seo a urramú go siombalach agus a bhaineann leis an saol comhaimseartha. Ag teacht ó chúlra téatair (Conservatoire Charles Munch i bPáras 2006-2009) faightear a cleachtas ar iasacht ó chóid amharclainne i stáitsiú an spáis agus na hinsinte, agus an tábhacht a thugtar do guth an duine mar mheán ann féin. Eascraíonn a saothar ó scéalta teaghlaigh, eispéiris phearsanta agus teagmhálacha, a fhorbraíonn ina gcreat de shuiteálacha scéal-bhunaithe arna gcur in iúl trí dhealbhóireacht, fhís agus fhuaim.

Bhuaigh Taim Gradam Ealaíne an RDS Taylor ag Gradaim Amharc-ealaíne an RDS 2023 a bhí á óstáil ag IMMA áit ar chuir sí ar taispeáint in éineacht le healaíontóirí eile atá ag teacht chun cinn.Taim Haimet completed an Honours degree in Contemporary Art in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Creative practice at the ATU, Galway.

Born in France of Syrian parents, Taim Haimet’s work explores the inheritance of a Middle Eastern identity deeply intertwined with a history of colonialism, continuous war and loss. The question of where we place the notion ‘Sacred’ on what is lost, or on what is left, individually or collectively,is at the heart of her research.

Drawing from Arab folklore, poetry and mysticism, she imagines ‘sacred spaces’ where these narratives can be honored symbolically and resonate with the contemporary world. Coming from a theatre background (Conservatoire Charles Munch in Paris 2006-2009) her practice borrows from theatrical codes in the staging of space and narrative, and the importance given to the

human voice as a medium in and of itself. Her work stems from family stories, personal experiences and encounters, which develop into frameworks of narrative-based installations expressed through sculpture, video and sound.

Taim won the RDS Taylor Art Award at the RDS Visual Art Awards 2023 which were hosted at IMMA where she exhibited alongside other emerging artists.