• Visual Arts Outlook: Culture Night Belfast Special

    September 15, 2015 - By 

    September is tuning out to be a huge month for arts and culture in Ireland. After last week’s Dublin Gallery Weekend this week we have the massive Culture Night taking place across the country. Whether you’re in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Derry or Limerick, or even one of the many small towns across Ireland taking part in this momentous occasion, this is set to be a fantastic night of music, art, dance and performance that is not to be missed. If you are in Dublin check out the lineup here. As I am a local of the fair north city of Belfast,…

  • Hyperbolex with Ray Wingnut: Tommy & The Big Guns

    September 15, 2015 - By 

    Always meet your heroes. Especially if they have proven their dedication to groundbreaking underground music time and time again. What I admire most in my heroes is that they have never compromised their integrity and dedication to creating or promoting truly great art. A couple of weeks back, my hero (and friend) Billy Jam contacted me and requested that I do him a favour; to record a radio interview for his show ‘Put The Needle On The Record’ on WFMU. I leapt at the opportunity. WFMU is broadcast in New York and New Jersey and is a world leader in…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (8/9)

    September 8, 2015 - By 

    The main event to be aware of this week is the Dublin Gallery Weekend. If you’re based in Belfast you should definitely consider heading down on either Friday Saturday or Sunday to soak up the experience. Many of Dublin’s main galleries will be taking part including the IMMA, the Douglas Hyde the RHA and many, many more. Lots of the spaces will be offering up artist and curator talks, walkthroughs and events throughout the weekend so check out the website for all the details.http://www.dublingallerymap.ie  The event has been planned to coincide with the launch of the new Dublin Gallery Map…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (27/8)

    August 27, 2015 - By 

    Visual Arts Outlook readers and lovely art enthusiasts, I am away next week so I have included several events in the Outlook that are opening next week so you don’t have to go without! In my absence, don’t forget that next Thursday is Late Night Art Belfast (Thursday 4th) so there will lots of galleries open from 6pm-9pm that evening. There is a good variety of exhibitions and happenings opening over the next two weeks across Ireland so I would encourage you to attend as many as possible and support your local arts scene! On Friday evening this week at…

  • Noise in the Signal: How IASCA’s New Submission System Hurts Independent Music

    August 24, 2015 - By 

    This past week, music rights association IASCA triumphantly announced its deal with online content delivery specialists Yangaroo, to adapt their radio submission system for Ireland. This was sold as a triumph for Irish independent music, as now there will apparently be a more direct path to station heads’ ears via their streamlined system, and apparently, as a result, more scope for radio play. A nice idea, but one that leaves more questions than answers. COSTS: At present, it costs nothing to bung together a .WAV with a press release and a few .JPGs to send off to various D.J.s and…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (18/8)

    August 18, 2015 - By 

    We are at that midpoint in the month where things tend to quiet down a bit. However, don’t panic, I do have some recommendations to whet your artistic appetite for the week. If you’re feeling like a party on Friday night head out to Public Indecency a Fundraiser for Household Collective at the Hudson Bar Belfast on Friday Night. This is sure to be a good party hosted by the wonderful Venus Dupree. Household is a curatorial collective based in Belfast who are currently planning for an exciting  three day programme of screenings and events at the beginning of September…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (11/8)

    August 11, 2015 - By 

    This August is proving to be a busy one with events continuing throughout the summer months and some great shows to get out and see. After the rather hectic Late Night Art in Belfast last Thursday, it’s good to call round and see the new exhibitions at a more relaxed pace when things are a bit quieter. Definately check out ‘Because these Reds’ by  Ciarán Wood at PS2 on Donegal Street which continues until the 15th August. I would also recommend dropping into the Mac today or tomorrow to witness the screening of the ‘Creative Time Summit’. The Mac is…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (4/8)

    August 4, 2015 - By 

    So after a longer than intended yet still brief hiatus (when I say hiatus I mean holidays in the rain!), I’m back with all your Visual Arts events, wants and needs. As usual July was a quiet month, with many shows continuing on, or galleries preparing for the busy Autumn period (don’t worry – I know we’re not there yet). The beginning of August sees lots of new events on the Irish art scene, including a three day exhibition at Pollen, The Lime Walk Project featuring work by Aiden Deery, Gail Mahon, Heather Dornan Wilson, Stuart Cairns, Alice Clarke and…

  • The Hefty Fog: A Flag Worth Flying?

    August 4, 2015 - By 

    It’s hardly worth reiterating the connection between Heavy Metal and dark, often upsetting imagery. The artwork used to push records and merchandise has always been the first talking point in any critique of extreme music and this has both served and damaged its legitimacy in the larger public eye. While the moral outrage has all but fizzled out since the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and contemporary bands now enjoy the kind of immunity not afforded to their peacockish forebears, the recent controversy in the USA regarding the Confederate flag has forced a previously unchallenged theme in Metal to surface,…

  • The Hefty Fog: Growing Out of Metal

    July 16, 2015 - By 

    The metal internet collectively lost its shit recently when Mastodon’s Brent Hinds (pictured) admitted that he never really liked metal and has been, in his own words; “trying to get Mastodon to not be such a heavy metal band.” And so it was that every Mastodon fan would experience that same feeling of blighting abandonment we have all gone through at one time or another in our early years. Some have claimed that Hinds is taking the piss to an extent, that it’s unthinkable for someone to do something they don’t truly enjoy for as long as he has. I…