steady as she goes

The steady as she goes residency program has been formulated and will be put into action this January. Mark Durkan and Emma Houlihan will be piloting the project. Both artists will be embarking on projects lasting up to six weeks where they will be asked to respond to their surroundings in a direct and unique way. The manner that these responses reach their intended audiences is of great interest to us and will be an integral focus of steady as she goes.

The steady as she goes residency program marks the beginning of larger progress. Over the coming months The Good Hatchery will be making space available for more visiting artists who will be able to explore the possibilities of their practice in a rural environment. The local surroundings include many elements that are charged with social and cultural relevance. The industrial bogs, the huge motorway and the defunct reformatory provide a grounding balance to the bizarre and unfamiliar landscape that circles us in The Hatchery. By the summer we hope to have built up the experience needed to hold a group-based event that will concentrate on contextual art practice. Until then, the many outcomes of the steady as she goes residency program will be documented here. We expect to see Mark Durkan projecting video onto local water towers, Carl Giffney infiltrating the motor way and we might even catch Emma Houlihan snow boarding down the Offaly hills on her ironing board. Keep your eyes peeled……