Bourkes Basement

Bourkes Bar on Catherine Street recently posted a short video of one of the many CATDIG events they hosted...have a look.

PODCAST - Just One Record

NEAR FM, Dublins indie radio station were at Cheebah's - Just One Record - for CATDIG. Aoife NiCanna was there to participate and to record the entire event. This was broadcast last week, with more to follow.

Here's NEAR FM's podcast of the show...

http://nearpodcast.org/podcast/index.php?id=371

With and Around

This post is a slight repetition, but we've noticed that there has been a lot of discussion since CATDIG about artist-led or public-led events and DIY culture.

We'd like to add this to the agenda for a public feedback session.

Rather than work against a situation/regulations/restrictions, our philosophy is to work 'with' were possible (which has required a degree of empathy) and 'around' when necessary (lateral thinking!). We like to add this to the agenda, but not make it the main point.

To repeat, here are some of the issues we'd like you to consider -

We think it's important that projects like the CATDIG are independently sustainable, but also need to encourage that to happen, do you agree? A lot of the traders are talking about the possibility of doing this themselves next year....we want to hand ownership back to the street, how do you practically do that, can that work, how would it work, what experiences did the weekend give us to help that to happen...etc?

more images from CATDIG

Sonic Sidewalk at CATDIG

Thanks to Everyone for a Great CATDIG Experience

We're very happy with how everything turned out, we hope you are too! We're considering having an open feedback session some evening next week or the next , if you're interested, we'll keep you informed....this entails inviting the traders and yourselves for a cup of tea and doing a round up.
We think it's important that projects like the CATDIG are independently sustainable, but also need to encourage that to happen, do you agree? A lot of the traders are talking about the possibility of doing this themselves next year....we want to hand ownership back to the street, how do you practically do that, can that work, how would it work, what experiences did the weekend give us to help that to happen...etc?

Getting Your Words Down on Paper with Dave Rock and Ben Coombs at CATDIG

Dave Rock is a published poet and fiction writer, who has read all over Ireland and the United Kingdom. He is currently a PhD Fellow in NGUI studying Social Imaginaries. Dave is known to many in Limerick as a veteran 'Slam Poet', but this is his first visit to our city to lend us his experience as a creative writing workshop leader.
Ben Coombs is an award winning writer, with a Masters in Writing, who regularly writes for HOTPRESS and the IRISH INDEPENDENT. He currently lives in Galway city where he leads creative writing workshops that have earned him an excellent reputation.

What are they doing?
Ben and Dave will help you to release your inner writer, this creative writing workshop will be light hearted, fun and inclusive. Places are limited and are given on a first come first serve basis, so come on time and have fun!

Where, When and How?
Saturday 7pm - Writing Workshop - (surrounded by books at) The Little Catherine Street Bookshop - 90mins - Bring pen and paper!!!!!

Here's a quick sample of some of the activites and events that are happening over the CATDIG weekend, that's starting this FRIDAY 7th MAY!!!

Amanda Dunsmore is a visual artist based in Ireland. The subject matter of her diverse range of artworks originate from contemporary social contexts, presented through the media of video, sound, photography and installation. Recent works include the performance series Head in a Hole Woman and the multi-presentational public sound work Shhh Shhh Shhh - Bags, Streets, Windows Linz, Austria. Her historical context projects reflect on diverse acts of preservation and include the Keeper project.



What's she up to?
‘Others Have Their Heads – A subterreanian Intervention for CAT DIG’
In the summer of 2008 I found a hole in a rural road and put my head in it. I am intrigued by the simple visual metaphor of this action. The moment of production is an integral element of this artistic process, exploring location and exploiting site, with the aim of creating different and unusual contexts.

Where?
On the street!
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Emmalena Fredriksson is a dance artist from Sweden. She graduated from SEAD, Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance in Austria in 2008, majoring in both performance and choreography. Since then she has worked as a freelance dance artist in Sweden, Germany, Austria and England, presenting her own work as well as collaborating with other artists, teaching and organizing events. Since September 2009 she is taking part in the Daghdha Mentoring Program in Limerick. http://www.daghdha.ie/006/002.htm

What's she up to?
“It’s a wrap, put your arms around me, you are an animal but I’m just lying here” a durational exploration of a simple movement, and a fascination for the double meanings of small words.

Where?
On the street!
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Softday is a collaboration between Sean Taylor and Mikael Fernström that started in 1999, exploring ideas in multimedia art.
http://www.softday.ie/

What are they up to?
Want to be part of a unique public sound art event?
Want to turn your mobile phone into a musical instrument?
‘Sonic City’ is an improvised sound art work designed to be played on mobile phones.
Softday (Sean Taylor and Mikael Fernstrom) in association with The Spirit Store , will work members of the public who are interested in getting involved in this unique project.

Where?
Interested participants are asked to meet the artists for a day long workshop at the French's Café in Catherine Street, Limerick at 11.am on Saturday 8th May 2010. Participants will take part in a sonic walk/tour of Limerick, they will also be introduced to audio recording techniques, and computer based editing software. The sound composition will be constructed from audio field recordings of the city of Limerick, which will be altered using computer based audio editing software. Each individual composition will be converted to MP3 or MP4 ringtones for the user’s mobile phone. The finished work will be performed live in public by the participants and their mobile phones as part of the ‘Softday Mobile Philharmonic’ at 4.30pm on Saturday 8th May in French's Café
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Ailbhe Keogan is the author of the novel, Molly & the Cyclops, published by Hag's Head Press in 2006. (http://www.hagsheadpress.com/molly.html) She has just completed her first screenplay, Run and Jump, to be directed and produced by Oscar-nominated team, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie in association with Samson Films. The script was developed with the support of the Irish Film Board. It was selected as one of twelve to take part in the 2010 Berlinale Talent Campus Script Station and as one of only five projects for the Sundance Institute's June 2010 lab. Ailbhe Keogan studied Interaction Design in the University of Limerick and has a soft spot for Limerick. She currently lives in Kerry at the foot of a mountain.

What's she up to?
A talk – The Lifecycle of a screen play, from Script to Screen.

Where?
Little Catherine Street Bookshop
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knee-jerk are a multi-disciplinary Artist Collective based in Galway. Concentrating on collective collaborations and site specific work, we are concerned with making the practice of art a more socially engaging experience. .

What are they up to?
"Hey, Catherine..Pass the Parcel!" - (Pass the 'Giant' parcel on Catherine Street)
http://www.myspace.com/kneejerkaudios

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Tracy Fahey is a Gothic devotee whose research interests lie chiefly in Gothic space and its interactions with literature, art, design and folk-tales. She has given papers in University of Aarhus, University of Cardiff, Stirling University, Trinity and All Saints, Leeds and University of Northampton on a variety of topics including Irish castles, domestic Gothic, fairytale architecture, Irish Gothic and werewolves.

What's she up to?
'Ghost Walk, Ghost Talk', is a look at the gory tales of Limerick hauntings, spectres, ghosts and monsters. All set to send shivers for the CAT DIG.Start on Catherine street and go on the ghost trail, return to a basement for a scary spine tingling story telling session featuring Limerick's own tales.
See the website for further info and to add your own experiences….

Where?
Saturday at 6pm > Ghost Walk > Meet at Bourke's Bar
Saturday at 8pm > Ghost Talk > Bourke's Bar Basement
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Robin Parmar works with silence, sounds, words, photography, performance and theory. Recent credits include the sound installation "The Lights In Room 7" for the international e v+ a Exhibition (Limerick, Ireland), a paper on television programme Doctor Who (Cardiff, Wales), a sonic performance at "Die Gegenwart Von Jean Baudrillard" (Mainz, Germany), the diffusion of the soundscape composition "The Garden Of Adumbrations" (Limerick and Stockholm) and a chapter in the book "Framemakers: Choreography As An Aesthetics Of Change".

What's going on?
I wish to create an anecdotal soundscape of Catherine Street, a process which would start with collecting sounds in situ and end with a finished composition for playback.


Ongoing Event > Sound Art Installation > Goldmine Jewellers

More information at,
www.spiritstorelimerick.weebly.com

CATDIG programme is now available online..

The CATDIG programme is now available online, as well as at the ev+a 2010 office. You can download and print it from http://spiritstorelimerick.weebly.com/


Click here!


Also have a look at our wiki for a full rundown of whos who... http://spiritstore.wikidot.com/participants

Calling for Volunteers

We are holding a meeting in the - Limerick School of Art and Design, Clare street, in the church seminar room, tomorrow evening (WED 28th) at 6.30pm.
We will be preparing the volunteers, talking about the press release, creating the press pack, and counting down the activities to be completed before May7th, as well as describing and alotting volunteer jobs.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the CATDIG weekend, or you know of anyone who would be a reliable volunteer for the week leading up to the CATDIG and for the weekend please come and sign up!

CATDIG Programme Ready

The programme is READY!!!! So while we were silent here for a week or three, we were hard at working matching places with people, talking to Catherine Streets proprietors and the myriad of participants who submitted ideas for events, we have now created a very packed and seriously cool programme for CATDIG
Expect to see a giant parcel passed through the street, take in a short movie at the outdoor pop-up cinema, catch a spontaneous tango on the street, listen to the author of ‘Alone It Stands’, tune your ears to the cello, take a theatre workshop at Faber studio or learn to edit sound for an art performance, add your story to a map of the streets history, make a noble call at the Big Hooley, trail limericks ghosts and spirits, write a screenplay, ponder a poem....all is possible and this is only a fraction of your choices!

A preview will be available online at our website shortly http://www.spiritstorelimerick.weebly.com/


...print it off and start planning your weekend.

'Ghost Walk, Ghost Talk'

We love the ideas that are coming in!!!!

'Ghost Walk, Ghost Talk', is a look at the gory tales of Limerick hauntings, spectres, ghosts and monsters. All set to send shivers for the CAT DIG.

Start on Catherine street and go on the ghost trail, return to a basement for a scary spine tingling story telling session featuring Limerick's own tales.

See the website for further info and to add your own experiences....http://ghostwalkghosttalk.weebly.com/

CAT DIG Opening Event

At Flannery’s Bar on the street Friday May 7th, 6pm-7pm, the CAT DIG Opening Event is - In Conversation with John Breen.

John will be talking about the process of writing the acclaimed Limerick Rugby play, 'Alone It’s Stands' and the plays subsequent journey around the world.
A mystery guest will join the event.

We're extremely appreciative of the support that Limerick Theatre practitioners have been giving this project, Teaspach, Bottom Dog and Impact are discussing ideas, we know that Mike Finn and Miles Breen have been promoting the idea for the opening event, while at the same time preparing their own submissions. Expect, workshops, readings, talks and performances for the whole weekend!

A Taster of Whats to Come - CAT DIG

The SpiritStore team is hard at work...here's a taster of what's to come for the CAT DIG weekend
There are at least three pieces of Sound Art inspired and using material from Catherine Street by different Artists proposed for the May Weekend.

The photo above is a sample of imagery from an Audio Visual collaboration between SpiritStore’s, Paul Tarpey and Composer John Lillis under the working title 'Hidden Hearing' (a Shop Name on The Street).
In true psychogeography form, a walking visual investigation takes place at Burkes Bar on the street. In this collaborative performance, Paul and John use Catherine Street images to dictate a live audio/visual map.
‘Softday’, artists Sean Taylor and Mikael Fernstrom are planning a live mobile phone symphony, calling on interested people to contribute sound recordings and will include a sound editing workshop.
Over the CAT DIG weekend Robin Parmar will create an anecdotal soundscape of Catherine Street, a process which would start with collecting sounds in situ and end with a finished composition for playback to pour onto the street.
Other events to date are…at Faber Studio space we have theatre practice workshops. 'Gretta Gibbs', shop window is a very intimate space for performance, dance and live acoustic music. Arches and doorways have incidental performances. The Little Catherine Street bookshop is set to host a literary fest. Outdoor cinema will be projected on the street walls, a Victorian peep show – not the rude kind! – gives us a snap shot of Catherine street past.

Outdoor spaces we hope people will consider are, the covered outdoor seating on the street, stepped - georgian doorways that lend themselves as intimate performance spaces, archways, pavements...

Bear in mind for instance that, the Bagel Factory on the corner of Thomas street has outdoor seating, a large canopy, outdoor heating and light, as do a number of the premises on Catherine Street.

Calling all...

Calling all, poets, archeologists, visual artists, singer song-writers, film makers, composers, musicians, playwrights, actors, directors, curators, historians, designers, social commentators, architects, astronomers, dancers, storytellers, scientists, puppeteers, moth watchers, novelists, screen writers, poets, psychologists, sociologists, cultural practitioners, researchers and more

Deadline March 31st........send us a short outline of your idea

http://spiritstorelimerick.weebly.com/cat-dig-paticipant-submission-form.html

Packet and Tripe - the event

Packet and Tripe - ev+a 2010

 SpiritStore served over 100 dishes of limerick packet and tripe.
We would like to thank our collaborators and contributors:

Rod Gallavin – Packet and Tripe chef
Teaspach Theatre Company – logistics and coordination
St. Mary’s Park Social Group – research

55 House, Senior Citizens Social Group – research
French’s Café - kitchen

Flannery’s bar – equipment

Fine Wines – wine sponsor

Pat Franklin cobbler - PR

Burkes bar – equipment

Faber Studios – location

Frankies – Frank Glynn’s Butchers – research and inspiration

O’ Connell Butchers – meat sponsor

Conway’s Butchers – research

Bean an Ti – bread sponsor

John Tarpey - graphics

Mike Finn – author and reader ‘Pigtown’

Darren Ryan – photography and film research

Anita McGrath – film research

Neville Gawley – photography

Mathew Gidney – tech support and film editing



Participation Submission Deadline 31st March 2010

The deadline for participation in the SpiritStore CAT DIG (Catherine Street Culture Dig) is March 31st 2010. Please fill out a submission which can be found on our website at the following link.
http://spiritstorelimerick.weebly.com/cat-dig-paticipant-submission-form.html

This year as part of SpiritStore's participation in ev+a 2010, we are creating the Catherine Street Culture Dig (CAT DIG). Residents and traders of the street are participating with SpiritStore as hosts and instigators of a series of cultural events. To realise this weekly meetings are being held in various street venues to broker links between participants and the spaces and places offered by Catherine Street. The result will be a weekend of events - CAT DIG.
We envisage that participants will contribute to CAT DIG with a programme of talks, presentations, readings, screenings and workshops featuring various cultural activities and practices. We imagine a lively programme which includes, dance, theatre, trad, performance, archeology, architecture, film, literature, puppetry, experimental music, digital installations, sound art, etc, on the street all weekend.
Our aim is to partner venues and participants to create a lively dynamic match.The CAT DIG weekend will begin on Friday May 7th at 5.30 and finish at 5.30 on Sunday May 9th.

We are taking submissions to participate in CAT DIG until March 31st 2010. SpiritStore will broker the relationships between participants and locations/venues on Catherine street. We will correlate the list of participants and the list of venues. From this SpiritStore will create a programme of events. A flexable approach to participation based on the specifics of a location/venue is not only appreciated, but necessary. Finally, both SpiritStore and the traders of Catherine street are very excited by the project, all of us are volunteering our time and energy to ensure the CAT DIG is a success, we’d like to thank you for the generosity of your participation.
Please email the submission form to spiritstorelimerick@gmail.com Alternatively, submission forms are available at Burkes Bar on Catherine Street, Limerick city centre. Completed forms can also be left behind the bar where we will collect them.

'A Limerick Dish'

Click to enlarge

Packet and HONEYCOMB Tripe

Dawn and Sharon (who you might know from Teaspach Theatre Company) ordering the Packet and Tripe off Paul O' Connell of O' Connell’s Butchers who generously donated the material for Saturday. We have worked out the amount to serve based on the Kitchen space and time available in French’s Café on the Day. The quantity is therefore dictated by this situation i.e. the Street dictates.

On the recommendation of many people who told us during our research over the past few weeks that we should use the 'Honeycomb' tripe rather than the other, we have followed the advice!
See the images below - two types of Tripe

Packet and Tripe is found in butchers all over Limerick city. This was photographed in Corcoran’s Butchers in St Johns Square (Est. 1922) with the kind permission of the proprietor George Russell, seen here. George has sold Packet and Tripe for many decades and has all the stories of Pigtown. He told us that lime was used to bleach the Packet in those days.

Recipe Book in Corcoran’s.
George compared his oral history of the dish with Delia Smiths Recipe of English Tripe from a well-used copy of her book that is kept in the Shop.

Getting the word out

These are the Flyers for The May Week end with the information Flyers for The Packet and Tripe event that will be handed out by the Catherine St location scout team. Brid and Amy will be visiting the street this week.

The mobile phone is the office! There are quite a lot of last minute changes at the moment requiring many phone calls. Every contact has a back up and its best to move on as quickly as possible.

Planning happens wherever is most convenient to the people involved, here Sharon and Stephanie (Teaspach Theatre Company) with Marilyn at Dawns house on a Thursday evening.

So far we've held two public meetings with traders on Catherine street. The Street print information for meetings was a temporary run of posters that were placed and removed. The Black board outside French’s will be operational this week.
Once our Packet and Tripe, ev+a opening event is completed this weekend, we're calling an artist's meeting... keep your eye's out for the call if you're interested.

SpiritStore Website

http://www.spiritstorelimerick.weebly.com/

Management meeting

A management meeting was held last night at Flannerys on Catherine street. Roles were handed out, thanks to everyone who came and volunteered, we're really happy with the turn out. Here are a number of the posts...

Secretary - Muireann
Tech organisation - Eilish
Health and Safety - Geoff
PR - Paul
Volunteer coordinator - Orla
Documentation and Forms - Sarah
Signage - Geoff and Sorcha
Master plan and Programming - Dawn and Marilyn
Location scouts - Brid and Amy
Artist manager - Marilyn
Project Leaders - Marilyn and Paul

Any comments or suggestions regarding material from last nights meeting please contact the relevant people.

Image on this post is taken outside Frenchs cafe at the first CATDIG public meeting.

Making Packet and Tripe

Kay Davis of St Marys community group

Excerpt from longer film, which will be screened at the Packet and Tripe ev+a event on March 13th at 6pm.

(Click to enlarge)

Researching 'Packet and Tripe'

Anita interviews Mrs Mullanne. Her Husband worked in Tracys Butchers and was one of the biggest suppliers of Packet and Tripe in the city. Because of her association she is fondly known to the group of women we interviewed as ‘The Packet and Tripe Lady’

The location of Tracys Butchers across from St Marys Church

Eilish (SpiritStore) has been working with a Knitting Circle in St Marys community centre, she has her own art project running, but was happy to introduce us for a couple of afternoons. We are researching the 'Packet and Tripe' history in Limerick.
The women were knitting patches for Elishes' knitting project and laughed when we told them ‘shes in our gang too’.
So knitting and talking we found the phrase ‘ Mock Tripe’. The poorest of the poor in food terms. It was packet and tripe without the meat, mainly milk, breadcrumbs and onions.