Skylum
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| Artist Name(s) | Andrew Kearney |
| Artwork title | Skylum |
| Context/Background | In 2013, Ireland hosted the Presidency of the European Union. Each year, The Justus Lipsius building in Brussels (headquarters of the Council of the European Union) is decorated by the Presidency, presenting an art installation in the atrium, and decorating and furnishing the foyer and Presidential Suite. The Irish Presidency’s decoration of the Justus Lipsius was undertaken by Culture Ireland and by the Crafts Council of Ireland, with an emphasis on Ireland’s ‘innovative use both of new technologies and of traditional materials’. The Crafts Council of Ireland furnished the foyer space with an exhibition from over thirty of Ireland’s leading craftspeople, while Andrew Kearney’s ‘Skylum’ was chosen by Culture Ireland for the atrium space. ‘Skylum’ was on display from January to June 2013. |
| Description | Suspended ten metres above the atrium, ‘Skylum’ was a large inflatable ‘air balloon’ type structure, approximately 15 metres in length. The title came from the artist’s aim to create an ‘alternative sky’ within the Atrium space. The artwork had its own internal lighting source, making maximum use of new technologies. Using camera, A.I technology and ultrasonic directional speakers, ‘Skylum’ reacted to people as they walked underneath, bringing elements of theatricality, performance and nature together within the built environment. The artwork was accompanied by a soundscape - 'Filleadh ar an gCathair', the selected poem for the Presidency, read in Irish by the poet Ailbhe Ni Ghearbuigh. http://www.cultureireland.ie/eu2013/event/justus-lipsius-atrium-skylum |
| Mediation | Skylum Installation in the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3uoTPBNbBw ‘Culture Connects: International Culture Programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union Jan- June 2013’: http://eu2013.ie/media/eupresidency/content/documents/culture-ireland-international-programme.pdf |
| Biographies | Andrew Kearney was born in Limerick, Ireland in 1961. He studied Fine Art at the Limerick College of Art and Design, and then Chelsea College of Art and Design where he obtained an MA in sculpture. He is a mixed media installation artist who has developed site-specific public artworks and collaborative architecture projects in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the USA and Canada. More biographical details can be found on the artist’s website: |
| Commission Type | Government Department |
| Commissioner Name | Culture Ireland |
| Commissioning process | Invited Commission |
| Project commission dates | January 1, 2013 - June 29, 2013 |
| Partners | Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht; E.U Culture Programme |
| Artform | Visual Arts |
| Budget Range | 35000 - 70000 euro |
| Project commission start date | 01/01/2013 |
| Project commission end date | 29/06/2013 |
| Location | The Atrium, Justus Lipsius Building – Headquarters of the Council of the European Union |
| County | International |
| Town | Brussels, Belgium |
| Street Address | 175 Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat |
| Website | www.andrewkearney.net/installation/skylum.htm |
| Content contributor(s) | Web Editor |
| Associated professionals / Specialists involved | Rabbit One – Logistics and Events Management, Belgium www.rabbitone.be/work-special-projects/
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