THE HIDE PROJECT
GARRETT PHELAN 'THE HIDE PROJECT'
LAUNCH : 2pm, Monday 13th March 2017. Balleally, Lusk, North County Dublin.
Fingal County Council’s Arts Office is delighted to announce the launch of THE HIDE PROJECT which will be introduced to the public with the opening of one of its core elements – THE HIDE SCULPTURE by Councillor Darragh Butler, Mayor of Fingal, Monday 13th March, 2pm Balleally Landfill, Lusk North County Dublin.
In 2007 artist Garrett Phelan was selected by Fingal County Council, Dublin, to imagine and conceive a public art project as part of the Council's Public Art Programme funded through the State's Per Cent for Art Scheme. THE HIDE PROJECT is an artwork in four parts, inspired by the artist’s own personal history with the area and the magnificent ecology of the Rogerstown Estuary, Lusk, an area renowned for its bird life.
THE HIDE PROJECT consists of four components:
THE HIDE SCULPTURE
THE HIDE SUITE
thehideproject.com
HIDE FM
THE HIDE SCULPTURE, situated on a decommissioned landfill site is a large-scale permanent sculpture consisting of; a gateway, pathway, surrounding foliage and fauna and a fixed structure adjacent to the Rogerstown Estuary. THE HIDE SCULPTURE is a work of art that provides a service to the visitor as a fully functioning observation point for viewing the estuary’s roosting birds. It will function as a space for conversation, contemplation, education and exploration into the world of art, nature and politics. THE HIDE SCULPTURE is cast in dyed green concrete with a hyper-realistic wooden texture finish.The artist has hand carved the wooden interior of THE HIDE SCULPTURE with symbols associated with the site and the recurring themes within his own work.
The practice of ornithology has been a strong feature of Phelan's work in the past decade. Birds and their behaviours are the interface between humans and the wild world. They are messengers, militants, migrants and the oracles of our environment. THE HIDE PROJECT provides us with a hidden but simultaneously democratic open space. By making the permanent commitment to being present at THE HIDE SCULPTURE Garrett Phelan is inviting us to begin the conversation with him about the environment, society and the art objects place within it.
THE HIDE SUITE is a set of 28 archival pigment prints printed onto Japanese paper and then using the chine-collé method onto Somerset satin paper. The 28 prints are presented in a stunning solander box which contains a custom map of the area THE HIDE SCULPTURE is positioned in, a photograph of the THE HIDE SCULPTURE and an essay by artist Isabel Nolan. THE HIDE SUITE is produced in association with Stoney Road Press fine art print studio. Each print features a detailed drawing of a bird recorded at the site by the artist and which visitors to the site can expect to see. The prints also incorporate the artist’s own personal vocabulary of recurring motifs and will be launched at Stoney Road Press in the coming months.
www.thehideproject.com is an essential platform used to develop and communicate ideas surrounding the project. It will also host the details of the ongoing activities and opening times of THE HIDE SCULPTURE and will include, drawings, zine format publications and animations throughout the course of its lifetime. The website will be available to the public on Monday March 13th 2017.
HIDE FM will provide us with a rare opportunity to tune in and receive transmissions from the edge of a delicate ecological sanctuary. With this work Phelan seeks to create both a strongly emotive and immersive experience for his audience. HIDE FM will be broadcast in 2019.
THE HIDE PROJECT takes the form of a 21st century functional monument dedicated to the people of Fingal and to their proximity to, and relationship with, the landscape. In particular, it honours those who have given of their time for the protection, preservation and conservation of the local environment, its flora and its fauna.
Visits to THE HIDE SCULPTURE will be made available through scheduled dates and times, which will be updated on www.thehideproject.com
Admission to THE HIDE SCULPTURE is free .
THE HIDE SCULPTURE is wheelchair accessible.
For further information please contact:
Caroline Cowley,
Public Art Co-ordinator
Fingal County Council
T:01 8708449
Getting to THE HIDE SCULPTURE from Dublin City Centre: Head North towards M1 Belfast, Take Exit 4/R132,continue north at Blakes Cross,take the right on to the R127,take immediate right onto Balleally Lane,follow the Road to the Balleally Landfill, Entrance signposted on the right.