Though I am not one-hundred percent sure how I feel about the quote above, nor the article it came from, written by Emer O'Kelly a decade and a half ago, it does deal with an important subject. Of course it is right to defend elitism, other than material/power elitism that is, i.e. some people being stupendously wealthy and powerful, whilst a fraction starve, many live in poverty, and most conduct their lives in precarious insecurity. But if a road bowler, say, has committed to their sport, and is measurably better at it than others, and knows their stuff, that's something to admire, and look up to even, right? The interests and achievements of a few are a) not an insult to those who don't play the game, nor b) necessarily aimed at humiliating those who are less good at it. And, who would want to deny the pleasure, once-removed, of seeing another human being, impress by throwing a 28 ounce cannonball down a winding road, precisely, and at great speed, in the way those experts do?
Reflections from four residencies completed by Micheál O'Connell at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in 2021-2022 to create new work in response to an Arts Council Commissions Award granted in 2020. Initially the work forms a solo exhibition, 'System Interference', which opened at Uillinn on 17th Sep. 2022, and then, thanks to Touring and Dissemination funding, travelled to Wexford Arts Centre (from Aug. 2023) and Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda (from Nov. 2023, end 17th Feb 2024).
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