SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY GOES DOTTY AT ADAMSTOWN FESTIVAL!

The Dot Olympiad

Cleary & Connolly with INDECELTIC

Saturday, 17 August, 12pm – 5pm

Artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly have been working with communities in South Dublin County to turn them into dots. Fascinated by human movement, the artists use cutting-edge motion capture technology to digitalise movements of people in sport or dance, expressing them as collections of star-like luminous points, or dots, reminiscent of constellations in the sky. Based on research by Swedish psychologist Dr Gunnar Johansson (1911-1998), these moving dots reveal the extraordinary ability of the brain to understand the human body in motion from tiny fragments of visual information. This process is similar to how we look at art -our heads construct elaborate figures often from just a few brushstrokes.

A MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATION AT ADAMSTOWN FESTIVAL

An Olympiad is a period of four years between Olympic Games, used by the ancient Greeks to reckon time. In Ancient Greece, art and sport went hand in hand - harmony was achieved through exercising both body and mind.

To celebrate this new Olympiad Cleary and Connolly are making an inspiring new artwork, The Dot Olympiad, a moving image artwork integrating the movements of Irish people in sports over four years, expressed as constellations of moving dot figures. Commencing this summer in South Dublin County the artists will film Irish sports people: amateurs and professionals of all abilities practicing all types of sport. The project will culminate in a spectacular moving image artwork completed in time for the Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics 2028.

Join the team for the first Dot Olympiad community engagement project at Adamstown Festival on August 17, with an exciting programme including a motion capture demonstration, a chance to show off favourite sports moves, win prizes, and enjoy music, food and fun.

To celebrate the launch of this exciting project the Indo-Irish duo INDECELTIC are joining with FESTIVAL IN A VAN to regale you with their unique fusion of Irish and Indian music and food.

Adamstown is one of Ireland’s most culturally mixed areas. Households of southern Asian  nationality make up 10% of the population here, and cricket is a favourite sporting activity, so Indeceltic and the Dancing Dots team will fit right in.

DANCING DOTS!

During spring 2024 the artists worked with young people in Deansrath to make Dancing Dots, a short animated film expressing the joy of dance through a kaleidoscope of moving dots. Over two weeks, Anne and Denis worked with Startbright afternoon club, 5th class from St Ronan’s SNS, 4th class from Talbots SNS, Bawnogue Community Centre, and Funky Feet Dance Group, Bawnogue.

The children created a choreography for the film under the guidance of choreographer Cindy Cummings, to live music by Irish Indian duo Anna Tanvir and Maninder Singh. Celebrations days

were held in June where the children performed for their families and viewed the final artwork. See the Dancing Dots film and “Making of Dancing Dots” at this link: https://www.incontext.ie/projects/in-context-5/dancing-dots

The Dot Olympiad is funded by Creative Ireland South Dublin and South Dublin County Council Arts Office.

For more information, please contact:

Meabh Butler, Assistant Arts Officer

Email: mbutler@sdublincoco.ie

Instagram: @sdcc_Arts @southdublin_creativeireland

Twitter: @CruinniuSDublin

Facebook: @CruinniuSouthDublin/ @sdccartsoffice

Website: South Dublin - Creative Ireland Programme