Mouth is window to soul in new show

The Condition of Others, the latest exhibition from Red Bird Youth Collective will open this Friday, August 28, at 6pm in Galway Arts Centre and will run until September 26.

Red Bird Youth Collective is a visual art group for young people which was set up in 2011 by Galway Arts Centre.

The Condition of Others is a multi-media project which was facilitated by visual artist Siobhan McGibbon, who specialises in sculpture, drawing and animation.

The goal of Red Birds’ current project was to create a collaborative exhibition, bringing together each artist’s different style.

Members have been learning about casting and mould-making techniques, which resulted in each one making a mould of their mouth.

These moulds were then embellished to represent their individual identities. Each mouth is mounted on the wall and the centre mouth is used to view the entire animation, as if it’s a window to the soul.

Objects placed in the mouths echo each artist’s personal characteristics and external life. Each frame of the animation was hand drawn, showing the intricacy and high level of detail required to create such a collaborative piece.

Since being set up, Red Bird Collective has received funding from The Arts Council and Galway County Council to deliver large scale, youth-led projects in collaboration with professional artists.

This project is funded through The National Youth Council’s Artist in Youth Work Residency Scheme and Galway/Roscommon Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

Members work on a variety of projects, including visual art, film, architecture, digital media, performance and literature.

Red Birds also learn how to administer projects, which enables them to recreate similar ventures outside of the group.

For more information visit www.galwayartscentre.ie or go to www.theredbirdcollective.com, where the animation work can be seen.