Context Background:
The second phase of In Context, 1999-2003, continued the accomplishments of the In Context 1 Public Art Programme. It was the largest local authority art commissioning programme of its time, and subsequently was held as a model of good practice in Public Art programming. Through In Context 2, South Dublin County Council, advised by consultants Artworking, delivered a diverse series of projects under the auspices of the Per Cent for Art Scheme and funded through the Department of the Environment. This provided both emerging and established artists with an opportunity to engage with the community and to incorporate art into the public domain in new and interesting ways.
Description:
Lucan Portrait is a twelve by five foot highly detailed stained glass light-box, installed in the entrance foyer to Lucan Library. Taking over nine months of intensive research and production by artist Katherine Lamb, it is a contemporary portrait of the people and the suburban and rural landscapes of one of Ireland's fastest growing satellite towns.
An installation of mounted snapshots of the 175 people who appear in the work accompanied the launch of the work. These range from local politicians to supermarket attendants, from young families to elderly residents and cover a wide spectrum of the population.
The exhibition of photos was open for two months, at the conclusion of which all the people represented in the light box were presented with the mounted photographic portrait.
Artist Biography:
Katharine Lamb was born and lives in Dublin. She graduated in 1990 from NCAD, from the Faculty of Glass Design. Following this, over a period of fifteen years, she carried out many public and private stained glass commissions, most notably Grogans Portraits, Grogans Public House, Dublin (1993 & ’95), Lucan Portrait, Lucan Library, Co. Dublin (2001), Synchronised Parking Indicators, Dublin (2004), a collaborative light sculpture.
Lamb returned to college and graduated in 2007 MA Fine Art, NCAD. Although she since works in the medium of drawing and video, Lamb continues to explore the subject of portraiture. She is particularly interested in the complexity of relationships and personality and the idiosyncrasies of thought and behaviour. Using actors, Lamb constructs narratives and sequences, which are ‘filmic’ reconstructions of fragments of specific encounters.
She has exhibited in Projector, Gallery Four, Dublin (2009), Play, Draíocht, Dublin (2008), Tulca, Galway (2007), Group show, Galleri Barbara, Norway (2007), and The Square Root of Drawing, Temple Bar Gallery & Studios (2006).
Mediation:
In Context 2 catalogue, 2002, essay by Declan Long
Article and photograph The Sunday Business Post, July 1st, 2001.
Commissioner Type:
Local Authority
Commissioner:
South Dublin County Council SDCC
Programme:
In Context 2
PerCent for Art:
yes
Commissioning Process:
Open competition: two stage selection process. Part of a programmatic approach for In Context 2.
Funding:
Dept. of Environment Heritage and Local Government
Budget Range:
30,000 - 70,000
Project Start Date:
01/02/2000
Project End Date:
27/06/2001
Public Engagement:
Stained glass workshops with groups from Youth Reach Lucan and Lucan Community College. Each group made and installed permanent stained glass windows for their respective schools.
Irish Air Corps assisted with aerial photographs.
Associated Professionals:
Project Manager: Artworking - Jenny Haughton & Aisling Prior