Event Details
Dates
03/12/2009 – 03/12/2009
Galway Arts Centre invites you to the opening of two new exciting exhibitions at 6pm on Thursday 3rd December. Anita Murphy, a Galway based artist will present a collection of photographs entitled Bathers: 365 in Gallery 2 and Dutch artist Arno Kramer will be exhibiting a new body of work entitled BREATHRHYME in Gallery 1.
Anita Murphy Blackrock a Summer Night
Anita Murphy completed a BA in Documentary Photography in 2002 at the Unversity of Wales College, Newport. Based in Galway, she is commited to creating photographic archives of everyday life for future generations. Bathers: 365 is an installation of photographs and sound (of the elements and the swimmers recounting the history and stories) capturing the experience and world that is, being an all year round swimmer at Blackrock, Salthill, Galway.
What has compelled generations to withstand the elements of the Atlantic Ocean on a daily bases? The answer lay in a tight knit community with a collective devotion to each other and to nature. For both young and old alike, the daily swim has become an intrinsic part of Galway life Hail, rain or snow these men and women go for their daily swim. There are days when you think you could almost reach across the bay and touch the Burren the water is so calm and clear. However, there are also days when you can barely see the diving tower with the fog. As the work developed it also become a study of anatomy and the changing form of the human body with the passing of time which has been sensitively captured in the portraits. (How the muscles sag and the joints deteriorate, how ones shoulders roll forward and become stooped, yet evidence of athleticism forever present. How fit and young many of the swimmers look for their age, they stand tall, strong and proud. There is a meeting of minds and a sharing of knowledge. The swimmers come from all walks of life and are of all ages. They have witnessed the changing landscape of Salthill with new developments, the most recent being Mutton Island which is of great benefit to the swimmers. Yet, the meeting of people, the friendships that are formed and the tower itself has remained constant, with some people bathing there for over 65 years.
Both exhibitions open on Thursday 3rd December. The exhibitions run until January 16th 2009. All are welcome and admission, as always, is free.
