What Alice Found There

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Artist Name(s)	Deirdre Morrissey
Artwork title	What Alice Found There
Context/Background	As part of The Red Stables Emerging Curator programme 2011 Deirdre Morrissey was selected to curate a site-specific exhibition of temporary artworks in St Anne's Park, Dublin 3. The exhibition What Alice Found There was inspired by the nonsensical elements of the Lewis Carroll book Alice Through the Looking Glass. Eleven artists were chosen to create work that was engaged with notions of impossibility, the uncanny and the imaginary to create a labyrinth of site specific installations and live art throughout the park encouraging play and participation with young people and their families. The aim of the exhibition was to transform the familiar perceptual and sensory experience of the park, giving the audience the opportunity to experience work in non-traditional media and encourage visitors to engage imaginatively with contemporary art. The Emerging Curator Programme was initiated by Dublin City Council Arts Office with the kind support of the Arts Council of Ireland in 2009 to nurture emerging curatorial talent by providing opportunities to develop projects that engage with St Anne’s Park. This exhibition was made possible by The Arts Council of Ireland, Dublin City Council, The Red Stables Artists Studios and Open Spaces.
Description	The primary focus in this project was on collaboration between different artists and on art work that encouraged active response to its surroundings and involvement with its audience. What Alice Found There focused on work that was performative and dynamic, thus creating a different, positive interactive outdoor experience. Eleven artists were invited to respond to the nonsensical elements of the Lewis Carroll book creating site specific installations and live art performances. Specific areas of the park became a site for each artist to respond to and re-imagine in terms of the absurd or what could be considered logical, encouraging visitors to enter into a world of fantasy transforming the familiar experience of the park. The exhibition opened on bank holiday Monday 6 June and ran until Sunday 19 June. The live art performances took place on the opening day Monday 6 June from 2pm until about 5pm and on the weekends of – the 11 & 12 June and the 18 & 19 June, from 2pm until 5pm. There was also art situated throughout the park for the duration of the exhibition and in the Red Stables Gallery space. Artists involved: Catherine Barragry Francis Fay Mary B Kean e Michael Fortune Carl Giffney Jennie Guy Claire Behan Joan Healy Maria Makrai Niamh Murphy Meabh Redmond
Mediation	The exhibition was discussed on the Ray Darcy show in June ‘11. An exhibition catalogue can be downloaded here
Biographies	Deirdre Morrissey is an artist and curator based in Dublin. She is co director and founder of The Market Studios, an artists studio space in Dublin city centre, and co curator of its exhibition space Unit H. Her interests as a curator for this project lay in the exploration of art practices that seek to develop new or alternative strategies with its audience. Previous and ongoing curatorial projects at Unit H can be found on The Market Studios website.
Commission Type	Local Authority
Commissioner Name	The Red Stables
Commissioning process	A curated process
Project commission dates	June 5, 2011 - June 18, 2011
Public Presentation dates	June 5, 2011 - June 18, 2011
Artform	Visual Arts
Art Practice	Arts Participation
Funded By	Dublin City Council
Budget Range	0 - 10000 euro
Project commission start date	05/06/2011
Project commission end date	18/06/2011
Location	St Anne’s Park, Dublin 3
County	Dublin
Street Address	St Annes Park, Mount Prospect Avenue, Dublin 3
Website	whatalicefound.wordpress.com/
Content contributor(s)	Deirdre Morrissey
Relationship to project	Curator
Public engagement	Visitors to the park, young people, families
Associated professionals / Specialists involved	Artists: Catherine Barragry, Francis Fay & Mary B Keane, Michael Fortune, Carl Giffney, Jennie Guy & Claire Behan, Joan Healy, Maria Makrai, Niamh Murphy and Meabh Redmond