Unique artistic atlas captures magic of Galway in new light

Arts Week with Judy Murphy – judymurphy@ctribune.ie

 Galway City and its surrounds have become the subject of a new atlas –but this isn’t a typical geographical atlas, rather it’s one which maps the place in an unusual and diverse way.

The Artistic Atlas of Galway is a beautifully produced, atlas-sized book which represents Galway through a varied selection of poetry, short stories, photography and art.

It was the brainchild of city man Liam Duffy, an Arts graduate of NUIG who is currently studying for a Masters from the University of Vienna in Urban Studies.  The atlas project started two years ago, explains Liam, who is also involved in creative writing.

“I’m a poet myself in Galway and I was thinking of ways to make creative writing more accessible and open. I had done courses at university in Artistic Representation, which is basically the way places and things are represented through arts. So I was interested in the idea of ‘conceptual mapping’.”

After receiving a small grant from the youth charity, spunout.ie, he sent out a call asking for people to send in writings, art and photos all about Galway.

Over 40 people responded and the works they submitted were compiled into seven themes for the book– People, Streets, Rain, Romance, Underbelly, Water and Hinterland.

The first section of the Atlas is made up of poetry and short stories on those themes from local writers including Kevin Higgins, Nuala Ní Conchúir, Mary Madec, Pete Mullineaux, Susan Millar DuMars and the editor himself. The subject matter ranges from the Galway Races  to the Galway market, with one poem – which most people will relate to – being simply titled 18 Hours of  Rain. That’s by local man Gary King.

The fantastic selection of art and photos capturing diverse local scenes and people includes work from Jojo Hynes, Pat Jourdan, Kenny Gaughan and Simona Moravcova. In addition, there are seven pullout ‘maps’ by different artists, based on short stories and poems in the Atlas.

These ‘maps’ are all conceptual, and offer the artists’ interpretation of Galway, whether it’s people, rain or pollution.

“I like the idea of maps,” says Liam. “People read them and are open to looking at them. Not everybody is comfortable in a gallery, but maps are different. And if it’s based on the idea of a city, it makes it more accessible because it’s something people relate to.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.