le cool issue # 106

Aspect

The Bernard Shaw is one of my favourite spots in the whole city and I'm thrilled to announce that it's about to get even better. A slick audio-visual set-up is being unveiled which will empower artists, bands, DJs and VJs with five projectors and three plasma televisions that can each be individually controlled and audio that can be split throughout the building. Ten artists are showing video art for the launch which is being curated by Shane Andrew Kelly, who divulges 'One cool thing is that we can project onto the front windows of the Shaw, so all the work will go on a loop and be screened throughout the night even when the Shaw closes! And there's a speaker at the front so people can hear it. So you could be wandering home from a night out and sit across the road with a few cans and watch some cool films at 4am.'

Julian Opie

Did you know the Hugh Lane Gallery was proposed by Mr Lane and his architect Sir Edward Lutyens to be built either along Stephens Green or to face the Royal College of Surgeons? However, Lord Ardilaun, who had gifted the green to Dublin city, rejected the idea and was consequently attacked by William Martin Murphy, proprietor of the Irish Independent, who praised Lane’s intentions. Is ‘fresh air a more desirable asset for the people than French art’ he aggressively queried Ardilaun. Nowadays, untroubled by such beef, the Hugh Lane has time to put on funky little events such as their Sunday recitals or this screening of Julian Opie's 2001 Illuminations/The Eye documentary. It's a half hour of interviews with the artist. He chats about his career, his interest in both form and content and the influences for his simplistic work.

All pieces from issue 106 -  HERE

le cool issue # 87

Borza's

Seeking an opportune spot to exhibit yourself and your superior style? On the increasingly cosmopolitan Thomas Street what appears to be a glass cube filled with funky chairs has popped open. Yet this is no mere pop-up store. This is in fact a traditional Borzas chip shop. So don't be a rude hipster and stand there staring at it. Go inside, become a chipster. Order a bag of salty, chunky crisps with a juicy burger or luscious onion rings. Wear your most striking attire, sit yourself down and wait for your order to arrive. There are televisions to entertain you, but there are also the tremendous glass windows from whch to watch people. Study the silhouettes that flash by. Be casual. Bring a date along and charm them into a walk along the quays. Or, alternatively, bring your laptop as there’s free WiFi. NCAD students get 10% off.

le cool issue # 105

Beer Festival

How smart those Nubians were - they knew the fermented grain would keep them in good health. Their beer contained an antibiotic used for acne and urinary-tract infections. The Teutons cleverly gave their brides honey-beer for a month after they wed as an aphrodisiac. Sound familiar? You cannot take the beer from society. You can only aim to give people the best beer possible, which Deveney's off license does year round but never with such an extreme offering as this. OVER 300 WORLDLY BEERS. Scream that to Silenus. Roar it to Osiris. Cry out to Tezcatzontecatl. The gods will join you for sure. Why limit yourself to one drink, I say. The world is vast and if you walk around on a sunny day with a cold beer in you, everything is sweeter.

All of the issue - HERE - 

le cool issue # 104

Movies Fest

The Irish have lost our spot at the top of Europe's most frequent cinema goers list. We're number two, after Iceland. But the shift could just be a typo. It is important though to acknowledge the change in the movie industry. No longer are the niche comic nerd demographic allowed feel alienated - they are embraced as loyal customers. The industry feeds the wholesome goodwill for the latest remake or adaptation knowing the fanbase is there and that online conversation will buzz each release. And it's hard not to get caught up in the action. So Movie Fest is here to bring us some celluloid excitement. I'm psyched for the unseen trailers, exclusive preview movie clips (Tintin!) and mystery movies. One vampire remake, one western, one body switch movie, two buddy films, two Olivia Wildes, aliens, explosions and laughs.

le cool issue # 103

Cigar Emporium

To find the Decent Cigar Emporium, walk down Diagon Alley and when you reach the wooden Indian tap his headpiece lightly with your wand. A door will appear in front of you. Walk all the way up the stairs and greet Guy Hanock, the owner. He is often away travelling in search of rare cigars, but as all the staff are exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly you will always be treated fabulously. I, a mere witch of no exceptional magical skills apart from a flair for conjuring up glitter, have received unrivaled attention and often even been offered delicious cuban coffee. Mad Eye Moody is a regular as was Serious Black, who enjoyed a Maduro 5 Secretos. Their highly specific stock does attract those seeking status and Horace Slughorn is known to always stock his humidor with large H. Upmann's before his annual Slug Club party.

Entire issue - HERE -

le cool issue # 94

Kakofonie 003

I instantly pined to go to Kakofonie 003 for one reason only. Richard Mosse. I’m obsessed. Born in Dublin, raised in Kilkenny and now based in New York, he studied at Goldsmiths and Yale. His work could almost be photojournalism except that it's just too conceptual to not be art. The sites he documents are astonishingly epic and exciting. Think the Congo, abandoned palaces in Iraq, sunken submarines, Thailand, Gaza. Mosse seeks challenges. His work, which deals heavily with conflict, culture, human interest and a dialogue about language and meaning, is instantly intriguing. It’s also very macho but I don’t know if he can help that. He's like an Action Man come to life and given a cheeky Irish accent. Shadid, screening at Block T, is a terrorist video. ‘Possibly the only such video ever made by non-Palestinian producers.’ Oh baby.

Complete issue - HERE -

le cool issue # 93

NCAD shows

Looking for proof that people are open to approaching things in a fresh and, more importantly, creative manner? Check out this trio of NCAD shows, dotted around the city. The MA Interim exhibition on Francis St. occupies four spaces which the students approached; two antique shops, an old restaurant and an empty store. "Half the work is how to respond to a space that isn’t a traditional white cube," says Frank Wasser, an MA student who is also co-curating Moxie Studio's show, Applause, of nearly fifty 3rd year Paint and Sculpture undergrads. Basic Space, a massive warehouse at the back of Vicar St. recently given to students for use, has allowed NCADers to think in a much larger way about their work. It's used also for exhibitions and Threads, an NCAD based collaborative group, will be showing on Wednesday. It feels exciting.

 

Shiva Linga Paintings

Shiva is male creative energy. Linga symbolises him. Sculpturally he is expressed like a phallus, but these paintings show Shiva unborn as ovals and are serene. Which they should be, each was made in northwest India for domestic meditation. Depicting not just a God but a history of worship and tradition, even entirely out of context in a gallery space they retain a contemplative aura. Shiva appeared in visual form over 5000 years ago, possibly the longest evolution of an image. A large sheet boasts The Thousand Names of Shiva. Among these are some real gems including Emitter of all Fragrance and Delight, The one with Dreadlocks, Drawing his Semen up (the Central Channel), Spiritually Intoxicated, Fond of Limbs, With Lips Suspended as Space and Earth, Best of the Best of All Gods, and Having a Great Collarbone. Sounds like my kind of guy.

 

Garvan Gallagher - Wearing Purple

These photographs delighted me. Part of the Bealtaine festival, the portraits are of folk from the artist's home town of Donegal. Growing up they blended casually into the village but now, they stand out as Senior Citizens. Gallagher gave over a large amount of control to them with each portrait taken by the subject themselves, though within the artist's specifications. He gives a sweet anecdote of his old accordion teacher dressing up in honour of the sitting. Each sitter was given a disposable camera to record their life. A car park outside Lidl appears, as do fields, sheep and garden walls. And there's Kathleen McGinley in her kitchen! I appreciated that though these elders are the postman, teachers and not artists themselves, the images captured are mostly considered, well framed shots, recorded with care.

See full issue - HERE - 

le cool issue # 92

The Last Days

Hazel Coonagh's photos of Poolbeg power station just before it was decommissioned beautifully expose both the inner structures and the exoskeleton of the station. Her experience is exceptional. Her father, who worked in the power station, showed her in. Mr. Coonagh appears in some of the shots as a back lit shadowy figure, standing strong and secure, much like the chimneys themselves. When I was viewing the show I felt somewhat like an infiltrator, as I had been allowed in the Workman’s club during the day time, while it was completely empty. I wandered around, unusually sober considering my surroundings, across abandoned expanses of floor and looked at the photos under the shine of light through the windows. The highlight picture is the ravaged staircase creeping up the sun drenched chimneys.

Isabelle Huppert

Isabelle Huppert has quite the acting CV. She has been in the business since the seventies and has scooped two best actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival. You might know her from the brilliantly cast I Heart Huckabees where she acted as the nihilist philosopher, Catherine Vauban, giving inspiration such as "It is inevitable to be drawn back into human drama." Or you might know her as the uptight Augustine in the kitschy 8 Femme, directed by Francois Ozon. Her confidence and sense of humour comes through in these characters magnificently. Filmbase is honouring her career to date with a collection of black and white photographs of her throughout her career. There's a beautiful picture of her as a young girl over-styled as a classic Hollywood star. Go and check them and then go home and watch some of her movies.

 

Wak-In Noodle Bar

I think I always associated life out of a sitcom with noodles from a takeaway box. I imagined life would change instantly with access to such packaging. Then Wak-In came along, the stir-fry bar of my fantasies, living up to my hopes and dreams. Once I was devouring a fresh box when a man stopped me urgently on the street. He was French. And sexy. He touched me lightly on the arm and beseeched me tell him where I ‘got  zose nood-eeeelz’. This is the Wak-In way. I guarantee it sparkles a bit of NBC magic over real life. The problem was that I finished eating and the fantasy stopped. So I never saw the man again, never casually encountered him at a laundrette or coffee shop. Maybe someday, buying another Wak-In, there’ll only be one portion left and I’ll look up and he’ll be the other customer and we’ll decide to share. Wak-In noodles - the perfect food to live out a sit-com fantasy.


Full issue - HERE -

le cool issue # 91

Beyond The Bookshelf ( a very micro festival)

Beyond the Bookshelf is “probably the smallest festival in the world” according to its promoters. The name comes from its location, hidden at the back of the Connolly Book Shop. The New Theatre will feature two main acts each night over the five day period and an additional band will play in the actual bookstore each day. The theatre is tiny, seating only 66 people and each performance will be filmed and recorded (in schnazzy HD) so the chances are you may end up in a band’s live video. Which is nice. This is definitely the type of thing one would be proud to be part of. There’s something quietly exciting and intriguing about such a low key, subtle event. Music will be contemporary classics to electronica, and the audio and visual footage will be available for each band who perform.

Lovely Lady Loos

Working sinks, doors that lock, flushing toilets and toilet roll are all necessary for a public toilet. But how to create a spectacular one? The amount of clubs that have very considered interiors and present a specific vibe yet have the most average toilets is surprising. Particularly considering the time ladies spend at their makeup. Where are the nicest ladies rooms in the city? Attractive lighting, floor length mirrors and nice décor (not your granny’s tiles) all count for extra marks but top of the pottys has to be the Village. Their upstairs ladies enjoy lush seating to lounge on while having the chats. Next is Pygmalion for its wonderfully ornate fountain sink. Deserving of a mention is O’Neill's which has a mosaic-ed statue caged into an alcove and non-seedy blue lights which manage to add a party atmosphere.


Full issue  - HERE -

le cool issue # 90

Oops!...I did it Again

If you hang around the seminar room at the top floor of the granery building in NCAD, you'll hear classic pop songs being thrilled. This is Anthony Keigher's latest performance. But whereas his previous performances have generally put himself centre stage and the audience at his mercy, this time it's one on one, just you and him. The idea is 'positive failure'. He will be using clips of vocals and visuals from each performer on a later completed piece. Keigher is flirting with the massive potential Karaoke has to fail. Go along and destroy yourself and the songs he's chosen. 'It could be good but it's not and I'd never let you go so far that it would be good. I wouldn't show you if you're actually good at karaoke' he promises, 'or maybe you will be. It's intuitive.' Book yourself in whenever it suits. Come Up, Sign Up, Sing Up.

ON/OFF

I think Donal Dineen is one of those people that genuinely loves music and wants - in a very honest way - for other musicians to flaunt their sounds and let people hear creative music. Last summer at EP, I figured I'd chill the first day and just wander around enjoying things I liked. At the main stage in Body and Soul that night I stopped to watch this incredible band. Not just banging out these great beats but creating an amazing atmosphere for the whole crowd. It was of course Donal Dineen playing with his band made up from the talented artists he is surrounded by. ON/OFF is the first off-site show by The Joinery. Most of the musicians are playing because of their association with Dineen. He's a collaborator, a true lover of music. Halves, Spilly Walker, Katie Kim, Niwell Tsumbu and Meljoann join him.

Garry O'Neill -Subculturalist Garry O'Neill has collected photographs of Dublin youth scenes from the last half century. le cool chatted to him in his apartment, surrounded by shelves of vinyls and books on subculture.

I got a few good photos, then I got a lot of good photos. Some told you more about certain scenes than three or four pages of text could.

Punk became very uniform. You could buy your outfit in the shop, spike your hair, have a mohawk. The early guys were still wearing flares and cuban heels, but they'd have a few badges, pins and maybe a tie or crucifix in their ear.

There's one wonderful story of Johnny Eagle, who owns that tattoo shop on Eden quay, he took the old Irish FCA green uniform, dyed it navy, bought all these old buttons and badges from Dandelion and basically turned it into an SS German uniform. He had a bus conductors hat and Sergeant Pepper boots. There's a picture of him with some punk girls I'd love to have.

Garry's pics will be gathered into a book (and a documentary) which you can help fund:it. Read full interview HERE.


Full issue - HERE - scroll all the way across to get reach the interview.