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 In Context 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:
Tallaght (Chiaroscuro) is an 18.5 minute composition for String Quartet comprising of four movements, based on themes drawn by Stephen Gardner, the composer, from the community, including vitality, uncertainty and melancholy. The word Chiaroscuro refers to the contrast of light and shade of the Tallaght landscape. The Hibernia String Trio and Michael d’Arcy performed the piece and recorded it during 2000.
In the words of Stephen Gardner “The work attempts to capture some of the moods I experienced whilst touring the edges of Tallaght. The title refers to the light and shade depicted in the music”
This contrast was also a source of inspiration for artist Paul Seawright who was also commissioned to create work inspired by Tallaght. Seawright’s work entitled The Map is a 28 page publication of photographs comprising day and night images of Tallaght, which was distributed to approximately 20,000 homes in the area.
The Tallaght (Chiaroscuro) CD was available for free from the Tallaght County Library during 2000 and the piece was performed by the Hibernia String Trio at a free concert on November 16th 2000 at South Dublin County Council Headquarters, Tallaght.
Artist Biography:
Born in Belfast, Stephen Gardner studied at the University of Ulster and the University of Wales from 1984 to 1989, gaining the degrees of BA in music and MMus in composition. He has been the recipient of a Vaughan Williams Scholarship and a Draper’s Fellowship and has received commissions from Concorde, the Sculptors’ Society of Ireland, Gerard McChrystal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Music Network, BBC Radio Ulster, the Belfast Festival at Queen’s and the Sonorities festival, Belfast.
In 1998-99 he was composer-in-residence with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, the first such position with a local authority in Ireland.
His orchestral works have been performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the Ulster Youth Orchestra. Recent works include It's the hole that kills you not the bullet, which was premiered by Paul Roe in November 2005.
Stephen Gardner was elected to Aosdána, Ireland’s state-sponsored academy of creative artists, in 2003.
Mediation:
Featured in the In Context catalogues 2002 & 2004
Radio coverage: featured on Rattlebag, November 2000
Article by Sharon Geoghan, in The ECHO, Thursday November 9th, 2000
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:
10,000 - 30,000
Associated Professionals:
Project Manager: Artworking - Jenny Haughton & Aisling Prior , Artist: Paul Seawright