Tide - an installation by Aileen Lambert opens at Sirius on Saturday 14 June with a special performance at 3pm

Sirius Arts Centre presents Aileen Lambert's most recent project
Tide - Video Installation, Sound and Video Works

Official Opening Saturday 14th June at 3pm Sirius Arts Centre Galleries With a performance of
One Mouthful of Water by the artist at the opening

Exhibition runs Saturday 14th June – Sunday 6th July

Following a short residency at Sirius earlier this year, Lambert presents a show including sound and video works and featuring a new video installation, Tide in the Centre Gallery. This new work was developed in response to the unique aspect of Sirius Arts Centre and it's relationship to the sea.

Tide is defined as "a point or portion of time" or "the rise and fall of the sea". Each new tide carries with it the promise of erasing a previous impression and the potential of something new and unknown. This work investigates the body's relationship with time in relation to the changing landscape, and through the use of sound explores feelings of loss and longing so often associated with the sea.

The West Gallery will feature a number of video and sound works in which the artist mediates her encounters with the environment. Performative gestures varying from short determined actions to extended periods of stillness are re-presented by employing a variety of recording and editing devices. Much of the Lambert's work is concerned with a futile attempt to preserve something which is intangible, as she uses metaphors such as the voice, breath and shadow to explore archetypal notions of life and death and the passing of time.

Aileen Lambert - Biography
Lambert's practice spans video, performance and sound work, as well as participatory public art projects. Aileen graduated from LSAD, Limerick in 1997 with a degree in Fine Art was awarded an MA in Visual Arts Practice from DLIADT in January 2007. She recently presented a solo show entitled Come and Gone, featuring video, sound and performance in Wexford Arts Centre in January/February 2008. Group shows include 7000IS, (Egilsstadir, Iceland), Anti Festival of Contemporary Art (Kuopio, Finland), Tract (Cornwall, England), EV+A (Limerick), Tulca (Galway), Visual Deflections (London), Castle of Imagination (Poland) and SWGC, (Newfoundland). Aileen was in receipt of a Bursary from The Arts Council of Ireland in June 2007, and Wexford County Council in June 2008. Public art projects include The Soft Edge, which was commissioned by Wexford County Council and culminated in a publication launch in January '08. She is currently working on a public art commission for Fingal County Council and is developing new work for Sculpture at Kells, August 2008, and Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, in April 2009.

Composer, musician and visual artist, Charlotte Hug in Residence at Sirius

Charlotte Hug, composer, musician and visual artist, lives in Zurich and travells extensively. She graduated in Visual Arts and Music, from London, Bern, Zurich & Berlin, and has received several awards, including "artist in residence" in London, Paris, Cork, Berlin and now in Cobh for the month of June.

Charlotte is well known for her spatial scores and performances in unusual places around the world. Charlotte tries to maximize amplification of playing techniques through the use of these alternative spaces. She has, among others, developed the "softbow" and specializes in mixing the sounds of viola and voice.

In addition to exhibitions, she performs as a soloist playing her own compositions at important international festivals in Europe, USA and Canada. ( for more inforamtion visit http://www.charlottehug.ch). Sarah Iremonger, Artist in Residence Co-ordinator took a few moments out to find-out more about Charlotte and her aspirations for her residency.

Sarah - Can you tell us a bit about what you've been working on recently and your plans during your residency at Sirius?

Charlotte - I was in the area during Cork Capital of Culture 2005, at that time I did an installation and performance for the Soundworks Festival as part of Arttrail. The high and low tide near the Dockyard in Rusbrookewere was inspiring for me. At low tide I was standing on the slipway... it made me think of "anderwelten" (the Celtic discription for otherworlds).

At that time I was looking for special places allover Europe which were under the earth, or under the water, or in between. Since then I played in the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland and the house of detention, a prison from the 16th century which was a air raid shelter during the second worldwar in London. I also performed in a half destroyed bunker in Berlin and in the subterranean hot springs in the cellar of a former luxury hotel of the 18th century in Switzerland.

I am currently working with Swiss TV to make a documentary film about this project, "Anderwelten". The filmmaker Alberto Venzago and his cameraman will come at the end of my residency to the Sirius Art Centre and film my work here in Ireland. My focus this year is "Anderwelten" and my time at Sirius provides me with an opportunity to continue my work on this project. I have plans for a future exhibition, including an installation and a performance which will be shown at the Kunstkeller Bern in Switzerland and at the Swissnex in San Francisco this autum.Currently I am the soloist (viola & voice) in the piece "Oedipus on Kolonos" from Sophokles /director Jossi Wieler, where I will play the psyche of Oedipus at the Münchner Kammerspiele.

For more information on Charlotte Hug visit her website at: www.charlottehug.ch

Look Closer Closer Look Opening Thurs 15 May 7pm

An exhibition of art work by the adult art, craft & design students of Cobh Community College. The opening will take place at 7pm on Thursday 15 May by Simon Knowles, local artist and art historian at UCC and Crawford Art College - all are welcome. This is an excellent opportunity to purchase original art at affordable prices.

Exhibition runs until Sunday 1 June.

Lisa Hannigan to Play Sirius Arts Centre Sunday 8 June 8pm

Sirius Arts Centre announces an evening with Lisa Hannigan!

As most will know Lisa Hannigan, is the talented young singer/songwriter from Dublin, famous for her long-term collaboration with Damien Rice. Lisa is now branching out as a soloist in her own right after parting ways with Rice in March 2007.

In 2001 Lisa began singing as a lead vocalist for Rice's music at a concert in the Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin and appeared on his debut album "O" . Hannigan has also contributed to Rice's "9" album and on songs for the charity album, "The Cake Sale". She has also performed along with other top musicians including Snow Patrol and The Frames.

Tickets for this event will go quickly so advanced booking is strongly advised. Hear some of Lisa's latest tracks at:www.myspace.com/lisahannigan or at Lisa Hannigan Redefined.

To book tickets visit see the contact information to the left of this page.

Cobh Maritime Song Festival Ready to Set Sail on 30 May - 1 June!!

The Maritime Festival is an exciting international event that invites maritime musicians from Ireland and abroad. This year the festival will invite performers from Ireland, Poland, England, America and France. Return artists include Nordet from France, Johnny Collins and Jimmy Mageean from England and Perly i Lotry from Poland.

Additionally we have a great line up of Irish musicians including Johnny Moynihan with his band Moonshine, Patrick Street with Andy Irvine and a special performance with Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill.

Also on the bill over the weekend with be Four 'N'Aft from Liverpool and the Johnson Girls from America. Weekend passes for the evening events are available or you can buy tickets for each individual concert.

On Sunday St Colman's Pipe band will host the South of Ireland Pipe band compeition with over 300 pipers from around Ireland and a farmer's market will be on the streets of Cobh selling unique original local products.

This is a family friendly event, for more information you can visit the OFFICIAL WEBSITE at http://www.cobhmaritimesongfestival.com/ or contact Sirius at cobharts@iol.ie

Sirius Announces an evening with Eleanor McEvoy - Saturday 17 May 8pm

Sirius Arts Centre is pleased to announce a return visit from one of Ireland's best female singer songwriters.

Eleanor McEvoy

on Saturday 17 May 8pm - tickets are €20 and can be purchased by contacting Sirius Arts Centre at the addresses listed to the left side of this weblog.

In a world where the word star and the gift of talent are often devalued, Eleanor McEvoy is neither an overnight success, nor a four week wonder. A musician and songwriter of note, possessing all of the qualities that go to make up the complete artist.

Eleanor graduated from Trinity and was accepted into the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland where she worked four years before finally taking the plunge to concentrate on her passion for songwriting.

After a long hard slog, the girl who spent the year of 1988 busking in Union Square, New York had come a long way, a route that took her through the disciplines of classical music, Irish traditional music and contemporary music to a point where she finally found success in 1992.
It happened when one of her songs "Only a Woman's Heart" inspired the title for, and appeared on, the "A Woman's Heart" anthology album. It has since gone on to become the best selling album in Irish history, staying in the Irish Top 10 for over a year.

Since then Eleanor has gone on to become an artist and performer known throughout the world. Her critically acclaimed canon of work spans six albums, several singles and appearances on numerous compilation albums and is today recognised as Ireland's most successful female singer songwriter having enjoyed personal chart success and numerous cover versions of her songs. (Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, Phil Coulter, amongst others). Her song "All I Have" features in the lastest series of the HBO cult series "Six Feet Under"

Don't miss this chance to see Eleanor in the intimate surroundings of the West Gallery. This is her first return appearance since she headlined the 2006 Cobh Maritime Song Festival in the Heritage Centre.

Artist in Residence for April & May - Daniel Heer

Daniel Heer is currently in residence at Sirius Arts Centre. A visual artist working at the moment as a designer, Daniel is also the author of documentaries and videos, examining national and cultural stereotypes. Daniel was born in Lucerne Switzerland in 1977. He lives and works in Berlin.

This is Daniel's second residency at Sirius he is currently continuing on work looking traditions of lacemaking and design. Daniel will be in residency until 24 May.

Sarah Iremonger, Artist in Residence Co-ordinator took a few moments out to get more information about Danie and his asperations for his residency.

Sarah - Can you tell us a bit about what you're working on currently?

Daniel - My current work at the Sirius is called SIGNALS, and is influenced by the rise and the fall of the tide. The idea behind this work is to explore the restoration of Sirius Arts Centre and to use my residency as an opportunity to create a construction artwork "kunst am bau - Project" looking at the idea of restoration in a heritage buiding.

Signals is designed to be integrated with the renovation of the skylights in the Centre Gallery and the architecture of the building. Black louvered blinds are proposed to cover the 2 sky-lights , blocking out and revealing the day light. The blinds would open and close slowly at intervals of every 6 hours. I would invision their movements to be synchronized with the rhythm of the sea.The louvered blinds would be used as a navigation between the sea and the sky.

SI - What other projects are you working on at the moment?

DH - I just finished a limited edition of leather-bags and am working on a new collection of these bags.

SI - What do you hope to achieve at Sirius and where will it take you?

DH - The Sirius Arts Centre is for me a kind of retreat after being in Dublin. I compare the urban experience of the Temple Bar Studios in Dublin with the quiet of the apartment studio at the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh. In both places you can easily become inspired and stimulated because these places bring you to yourself in different ways.