Blooming magic!

Lifestyle – This year’s Galway International Arts Festival includes a new Garden Space in Eyre Square with many free events as well as a strong drama and visual arts programme. Judy Murphy meets Artistic Director Paul Fahy.

The Festival Garden, a specially created space at the top of Eyre Square where people can mix and relax, enjoy music, performances, food and drinks, and book tickets for shows, is a new addition to this year’s Galway International Arts Festival.

The Festival will run from July 16-29 and this covered space, similar to those found in London’s South Bank and at the Edinburgh Festival, is part of a series of free or inexpensive events around the Square that “will give a participatory feel to the Festival”, says its director Paul Fahy.

The Miracoco Luminarium, which will take up residence at the bottom of the Square from July 20-29 will be part of that magic, with a series of coloured chambers “fantastic for families but also a contemplative space, with some of the rooms being almost gothic in their architecture”, according to Paul Fahy.

A visiting installation, The Museum of the Moon, will make an appearance at the Festival Garden as well as at other venues around the town. This seven-metre wide moon draws on NASA photography to depict a realistic close-up view of the moon’s surface. It will be in town for the duration.

A massive replica of NUIG’s Aula Maxima, made from cardboard by The People Build project was a bit hit at last year’s Festival. Its architect Olivier Grossetête returns with a new project, which will involve using thousands of cardboard boxes to create a homage to the former bridge that spanned the River Corrib as part of the old Galway-Clifden railway line. People from the community will be involved in creating this bridge and another building, yet to be identified. The reconstructions will go on display on July 21 and will be demolished on July 22.

In what’s a very strong theatre programme, Flight from Vox Motus Theatre in Scotland, stands out. Based on the novel Hinterland by Caroline Brothers, it’s a unique retelling of the story of two orphaned boys. Each member of the audience of 25 will receive a set of headphones and be seated in an individual booth to follow the brothers on their epic journey from Kabul to England. The “beautifully crafted” production uses the concept of graphic novels to provide a succession of more than 100 3D models that rotate to convey the boys’ journey as each viewer hears music and dialogue through their own headset.

“The person beside you will be a few minutes behind you or ahead of you, so it’s like being in a book watching it unfold,” explains Paul.  Flight was a major hit at the 2017 Edinburgh International Festival and has since enjoyed equal success in New York. It’s at NUIG’s Bailey Allen Hall from July 20-29.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.