Grúpat

Grúpat consists of nine individuals, each of whose projects combine a specific aspect of the local context with their well developed experimental artistic practice. For example, Turf Boon's silent music video, made from objects sourced in Tallaght shopping centre, Bulletin M's songtags using field recordings, The Dowager Marchylove's sound poetry walks from Tallaght to the Hellfire Club, Flor Hartigan's experimental piano compositions, Violetta Mahon's sonic reliquaries installed at Holy Wells across South Dublin, O'Brien Industry's immersive environments, Ukeoirn O'Connor's vocal scores incorporating the South Dublin skyline, The Parks Service's mythology soaked world of the Fornar Resistance game played in the Glenasmole valley and Detleva Verens music scores based on satellite images from the South Dublin hills.

A retrospective exhibition of Grúpat's work took place at the Project Arts Centre, February 2009.

A book about the project Grúpat, and two CDs were launched at the Project Arts Centre in February 2009.

A public talk by Christopher Cox, music writer and academic, gave an illustrated talk contextualising Grúpat in terms of experimental music notation.

An exhibition at RUA RED took place including a selection of projects by Violetta Mahon and The Parks Service were exhibited at the Alight exhibition in November and December 2008.

A public installation of Grúpat's graphic scores were displayed on music stands in South Dublin Libraries in November 2008.

Workshops in toy instrument making and experimental sound provided access for a younger audience.

An artist's talk was organised as part of the Insight at Alight programme of public tours, talks and events to provide access and insight to the In Context 3 programme. Here, Jennifer Walshe gave a lunchtime talk and screening of performance clips, Innovation and Invention: the Grúpat Sound Collective on Tuesday 25 November 2008

The multi-sensory exploration of place associated with Jennifer Walshe's approach to the In Context 3 commission inspired a postcard printing and exchange project led by artist Julie Merriman. Children from four local primary schools were encouraged to listen, touch and observe their surroundings during drawing sessions exploring a sense of place. Drawings and drypoint printmaking were transformed into postcards which were exchanged across the county, reflecting the journeys and exchange of ideas inherent to the programme.

International performances and exhibitions (selection) include:
Kilkenny Arts Festival (2007)
Dublin Electronic Arts Festival (2008)
Electric Eclectics Festival, Canada (2008)
Houston Contemporary Arts Museum, Texas (2008)
Denniston Hill, NY, (2008)
Deutschland Radio, (2007)

The performance at Kilkenny Arts Festival in 2007 was reviewed by Martin Adams

Jennifer Walshe is a composer and vocalist. She was born in Dublin, and studied composition in Ireland (with Kevin Volans) as well as in Glasgow and Chicago. Walshe received her doctorate from Northwestern University in 2002. From 2003 to 2006 she lived in Germany courtesy of a residency from Akademie Schloss Solitude and then in Berlin as a guest of the DAAD Künstlerprogramm. She works within a wide variety of musical genres - concert music, music theatre, opera, improvisation and sound installation. Her work has been performed throughout Europe and the U.S. by ensembles including Alter Ego, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Resonanz, Apartment House, Ensemble Integrales, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, CrashEnsemble, Champ d'Action, the Irish Chamber Orchestra, the Bozzini Quartet, Concorde, the Hebri des Ensemble, Psappha, and Q-02.

General public
Young people
Students
Contemporary music audience
Contemporary art audience
Geocaching community

Musicologist and notation specialist, Christopher Cox 
Musicologist, Bob Gilmore, University of Brunel