An exhibition of the work of past students

of the Art Portfolio Preparation course at

Galway Technical Institute who graduated

during the last ten years.

This course prepares students for entry into

art colleges to study some of the following

subjects; painting, graphic design, sculpture,

architecture, fashion, interior design, print,

industrial design, film, metal design, textiles etc.

The exhibition reflects this diversity

of discipline choice.

This book details each artist/designer’s work

and gives key information into their art

education and experience since leaving

Galway Technical Institute.

Corsar Books

x equals 3

First published 2007 by Corsar Books

© 2007 Galway Technical Institute and the several authors

The material in this publication is protected by copyright law. Except as may be

permitted by law, no part of the material may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means; adapted, rented

or lent without the written permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 978 0 9555106 0 1

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Contributors

edited by Gavin Murphy

foreword by Jim Brick

essays by Gavin Murphy and Lochlann A. Hoare

Exhibition

selected by Gavin Murphy and Lochlann A. Hoare

exhibition curator Robin Jones

project co-ordinator Sarah Farrell

design Johan Hofsteenge

printed by Clodoiri Lurgan

This publication and exhibition were grant aided by the Arts Council of Ireland.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Galway Technical Institute,

City of Galway VEC, NUIGalway and the Further Education and Training

Awards Council.

Exhibition – NUIGalway Campus 9th to 23rd February, 2007.

In conjunction with Muscailt NUIGalway’s Spring Arts Festival.

Foreword

x equals marks an important milestone in the one hundred and ten year history of Galway Technical Institute.

While it celebrates the success of the Art Portfolio course that has been in existence for over a decade, it is a timely reminder

that Art has been at the heart of the curriculum in GTI since its foundation.

The decision in 1995 to concentrate on developing a comprehensive Post Leaving Certificate curriculum opened the door to

new bold initiatives designed to serve a population of young people who, up to that time, were ill-served by the Irish education

system. The Art Portfolio course came into existence at this time of great change in the college. From the beginning the course

typified the pioneering attitude of the teaching staff in GTI who were determined to exploit fully the opportunities for innovation

and renewal which the new environment in the college presented.

On behalf of everybody in GTI I wish to thank the following who have made a contribution to this event; Sarah Farrell, whose

vision, determination and hard work made this exhibition possible; the teachers in the GTI Art Department for their unstinting

support and commitment; Gavin Murphy and Lochlann A. Hoare who selected the work; Robin Jones, exhibition installation and

coordination; Fionnuala Gallagher, Arts Officer NUIGalway, for the space to hang the show and the facilities for the official

opening; Catherine Marshall of IMMA for performing the official opening, our generous sponsors whose logos appear elsewhere

in this catalogue, the endlessly patient Johan Hofsteenge who designed the catalogue, and above all, the past students of the

GTI Art Portfolio course who presented work for this show and who contributed so much to all aspects of x equals.

Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Fred Bazler who has taught Art History at GTI in recent years and who is

due soon to leave that post. Fred is a brilliant and generous teacher and has made an outstanding contribution to the college

over the years. Prior to leaving GTI Fred has contributed an enormous collection of class material, accumulated over a long

career, to the Art Department, to be used as a resource by teachers and students in the years ahead. I cannot express

adequately my appreciation for this wonderful gesture.

GTI takes great pride in this beautiful exhibition and in the manner of its organisation, as it represents the special lifelong bond,

or learning partnership, we try to create with all our students. To misquote Vincent Van Gogh; we dream of students dreaming

and then painting their dreams.

Jim Brick

Principal, Galway Technical Institute

x equals 5

Likewise, those arriving at GTI straight from school worried if they could meet the demands of their new course, cope with

a different social mix, or if, indeed, they had made the right choice at all. Yet there was a common unity among all the

responses to the call to exhibit in that the experience of the course has had a positive impact on their lives. They took the

chance offered to them and confronted their many doubts. They matched the demands of the course, and, most

importantly, there was a sense of personal growth and creative development that marked their time at GTI. In this sense,

the Portfolio Course can be seen as a crucial point of transition for the many lives that have passed through it. And hence

the x of the exhibition title: a point where two lines intersect, a point marking the spot where staff and students meet, x

as the in the first mark we really make, and x as an unknown quantity that can be the product of this interaction.

The work on show for x equals reflects the idea of the Portfolio Course being a creative hub shared with like-minded

souls and characterized by an array of practices, attitudes and ambitions. There are examples of architecture, ceramics,

craft and fashion design, graphics, industrial design, jewellery, painting, photography, print, sculptural installations, sound

pieces, video work and textiles. There is even a Response Room set up by an ex-student that will hold art activities and

organize tours of the exhibition. This, as well as the sheer diversity of artwork on show, reminds us of the various paths

on offer for those choosing to study and learn through art. The artworks hint at the lives led and choices made by their

creators. Each piece might also be read as a testament to the commitment and dedication of staff on the Portfolio

Preparation Course. For it is the intention of the course to find common ground and a common language at the heart of

art and visual communication. The emphasis on core drawing skills, on colour theory and on the visual forms defining two

and three dimensional concepts is testament to this. Indeed, while each contribution can also demand attention on its

own terms, it also asks each viewer to form a grander understanding of what people can do and why they should do this.

It is from this demand for a greater sensitivity towards the question of how we can be creative that one can sense the

value of x equals. For of all the stories at the heart of the exhibition, the one that lingers is that each piece speaks of a

search for how its creator can make a meaningful contribution to their own and our own lives. Have we anything more

important to communicate than this?

Dr. Gavin Murphy

Dr. Gavin Murphy is a lecturer in Art History and Critical Theory at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. He has contributed to manypublications, including Locus Solus: Site, Identity, Technology in Contemporary Art (Black Dog Publishers), Placing Art: A Pilot Public Art

Programme (Sligo County Council), Third Text, Circa, Source and Irish Studies Review.

x equals 4

A common view of an art student is captured by an old joke: why do art students never look out of the window in the

morning? The answer, of course, is that they would have nothing to do for the afternoon. When reacting to such views, it

is too easy to overcompensate by stressing how the virtues of hard work, a seriousness of purpose and a stoic

perseverance characterize the efforts of the art student to make it in this world. It is true that the fashion industry is

notoriously competitive and cut throat, just as it is true that graphic and product designers can be found at the heart of

any vibrant economy. It is also true that the effort to maintain a fine art practice is often a battle against financial

constraints as well as a perpetual questioning as to whether the sacrifice is worth it. And this is before one considers the

effort it takes to create opportunities and networks in order to climb the art world’s greasy pole of recognition. Yes, to

overemphasize these points is possibly to lose sight of the grander ideal our culture should hold to and that students of

art should find comfort in.

Consider the ideas of two thinkers we should all be familiar with – Henry David Thoreau and Bertrand Russell. Thoreau’s

famous lines from Walden immediately spring to mind: The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called

resignation is confirmed desperation. The key to happiness, for Thoreau, lies in advancing confidently in the direction of

one’s dreams, and endeavouring to live the life which one has imagined, even when this path runs contrary to the

demands of society. Russell, by contrast, believed happiness could be attained only when passions and interests are

directed outward, not inward:

It should be our endeavour therefore, both in education and in attempts to adjust ourselves to the world, to aim at

avoiding self-centred passions and at acquiring those affections and those interests which will prevent our thoughts

from dwelling perpetually upon ourselves.

It would appear that a key to happiness lies in pursuing a creative life that treads the fine line between these conflicting

demands. Obviously, such a position is a hard one to hold given the tensions, doubts and external pressures that bear

down on our everyday lives. But in reading the accounts of former students of GTI’s Art Portfolio Preparation Course

when they reflect on how they came to attend the college and what they have subsequently gone on to do, there is a real

sense of negotiating these choices.

For many, the choice to return to college after many years in the field of work was one racked with doubts: wondering if

the artistic ability was actually there, financial worries, or feeling out of place in terms of age and perceived aptitude.

x equals 6

Eleanor Brennan

Ever since she was a child, Eleanor Brennan has kept notebooks, diaries and has been a hoarder of things of

memory, including her early artworks. It seemed an obvious choice for Eleanor to pursue a career in the arts. Her

experience at GTI and on a degree course in Fine Art revealed the importance of self-reliance in having to make

one’s own chances in the artworld and with life in general. Indeed, her sense of exploration extends to her love of

travel, having recently completed an extensive tour of South America where, among other things, she worked as

an Arts and Crafts Facilitator with children in Brazil. As well as working as a practicing artist, Eleanor co-ordinates

and runs various visual arts workshops and projects for community groups in Galway such as Sonas and Solas.

The work for this exhibition is selected from her most recent photographic project Polska/Poland. Eleanor

travelled throughout Poland so as to ‘learn a little bit more about the place they call home’. This curiosity for a

culture we are only becoming to be familiar results in photographs that offer compelling points of contrast and a

shared terrain. They offer a reminder of the values of community and family life in conditions that can often be

fraught; values that are increasingly seen to be under threat with the new found affluence in Ireland.

x equals 7

The work on show in this exhibition reflects the diversity and individual journey of

each of the artists/designer participants into the world of imagination and creativity.

This diversity is formulated on the use of visual language as defined by Bauhaus

principles and annunciated by Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus School of

Design (1919-1928), in his theories on form and function allied to their use in

modern materials. This template defines the methodologies – enquiry – analysis –

understanding. The study of the particular rather than the general is the key-stone

to the understanding of this language.

The artists/designers on show were initiated into this idiom through the art and

design course established at GTI by Sarah Farrell which is based on these sound

principles. A grasp of this language will prepare the student for a journey that could

be seen as a rite of passage and as such, is an intense personal experience.

It is not only their social persona that is transformed it is also their conceptual vision

as well.

New possibilities emerge and through a distillation process of de- and re-

construction, new worlds are formed and explored in which insight, imagination,

creativity and sensitivity are the cardinal points on this conceptual compass.

This journey is reflected in the work on display. Participants are no longer acolytes

but have been transformed. A metamorphosis has occurred from apprentice to

artist/designer and in this case, the first steps on this personal journey were taken

by these former students at GTI.

Lochlann Alastair Hoare NDD ATC

Former Head of Foundation Course and Sculpture Course at GMIT.Visiting Lecturer NCAD and on LIT Post Graduate Art and Design Teaching Education CourseDepartment of Education Assessor and External Examiner DIT

x equals 9x equals 8

Jo Anne Butler

Having already been offered a place to study architecture, Jo Anne deferred so as to take a chance and follow her passion for

art. After a year at GTI, she was accepted by the National College of Art and Design and qualified with a joint honours degree

in Fine Art Sculpture and History of Art in 2005. She has continued to work as an artist, exhibiting both nationally and

internationally. More recently, she has been an artist for Breaking Ground, Ballymun Regeneration Project and has undertaken

a residency with Greenstar, a waste disposal company responsible for the construction of a new landfill site in county Meath.

Maquette Trees for x equals arises from her recent experience and consideration of the role of nature in urban and rural

development. A large plywood screen of flat cut out trees, mimicking those in architectural and engineering drawings, will be

placed on campus. The glossy, idealized façade is in sharp contrast to the rough cut nature of its underside. Through humour

and a lightness of touch, Jo Anne alludes to the role of art and landscaping as decorative screens masking the more brutal

elements of modern development.

Roger Burrows

Having concentrated on working hard during his Leaving Certificate, Roger wanted to spend a full year preparing to go

to art college. Graphic design was his main interest but he also wanted to broaden his experience by trying out other

disciplines. Roger was immediately accepted into the college of his choice – the West Wales School of the Arts – where

he can achieve an honours degree in Graphic Design in just three years.

Currently in 2nd year, he has won a number of college contests with his work. Roger won first prize in the 8th Annual

Carmarthenshire College photography competition sponsored by TyNant in 2006. As in previous years, this competition

generated some truly excellent photography which some students developed into advertising concepts for TyNant.

This award winning project is exhibited as part of x equals. Roger worked with existing TyNant design concepts but

added his own photography to create a whole range of new and distinctive images.

x equals 11

Carol Anne Connolly

There is always an element of chance that can influence a specific career path. Carol Anne initially applied to GTI with the intention of

making her own clothes. After completing the Portfolio Course at GTI, Carol Anne has gone on to study a degree in Fine Art at the

National College of Art and Design. Her specialism in sculpture has led her to concentrate on video and installation work as well as

community and site specific work. Her work Waiting Womb, for example, was commissioned by Dublin City Council as part of their

public art remit. She also helps run the Mantua Arts Centre in Ballinagare which focuses on community development through the arts.

For x equals, Carol Anne’s proposal continues her exploration of modern values of care within the health sector.

While previous work has focused on the positive contribution art can make within the hospital environment, this proposal considers

the tensions between Western scientific approaches to medicine and alternative models that are increasingly coming to the fore.

In particular, she contrasts our unquestioned acceptance of the chemical contents of brown medicinal jars with the preventative

properties of natural food sources. Her installation consists of a specific number of these jars that correspond to statistics on cancer

deaths. Into each jar, Carol Anne has placed a carrot seed (carrots have recognized preventative properties against cancer) that will

sprout over the course of the exhibition.

x equals 10

Tina Carroll

Tina Carroll is a ceramic artist, currently in her

final year of BA (Hons) Fine Art at Galway-

Mayo Institute of Technology. In the early

1990s, Tina undertook a training programme in

pottery production skills for the Crafts Council

of Ireland before taking up work as a residential

care assistant and adult literacy tutor.

Peer pressure encouraged her to apply to GTI.

The strong emphasis on drawing skills and the

confidence attained from the year helped lay

the foundations for Tina to continue to pursue a

career in the arts.

Her work is inspired by the landscape,

particularly the Neolithic sites found on the

Burren. The six untitled wall pieces evoke the

mystery of found objects. These repetitive

forms, born from the lost Raku technique, hint

at the element of ritual in the process of

making. The bowl and plinth also suggest a

ritualistic element not only through their

functional role but through the delicacy, chance

and grace that brought them into being.

x equals 13

Amantine Dahan

Amantine has a profound interest in nature and

the environment. Her work and life is a perpetual

examination of fundamental forces and principles

and of humankind’s attempt to comprehend

these elements across time and culture.

She is a practising homeopathist and has been a

teacher of the subject in the Lakeland District, a

happy accident enabled her to do the art course

at GTI. Amantine at first thought she would do

Film and TV at GMIT, but receptive to the

possibilities that accidents can proffer, kept an

open mind while doing the course. She is now in

her final year of Sculpture at GMIT.

Amantine works in a variety of media;

photography, film, found and made materials.

Her ideas relate to the relationship between man

and animal and the fetishistic qualities inherent in

the materials she uses such as rabbit skin and

eggs. She claims to interested in the magic that

exists in working with such organic materials.

These materials demand reverence and some

kind of submission to the material. While referring

to magical, shamanistic practices in the images

and objects she creates, Amantine comments on

contemporary issues such as over consumption

and the soullessness of society.

x equals 12

Jodi Coyne

Jodi had always wanted to go to art college and by doing the art course at GTI she

was able to apply to third level while getting a general foundation in art education.

Jodi went on to Limerick School of Art and Design to study Ceramic Design.

She has just competed her fourth year of the Honours Degree programme.

The pieces that Jodi is exhibiting for x equals are called Its All Gone Pear

Shaped (a study in decomposition). These are a series of ceramic pieces based on

decomposing pears. Art students often have to closely scrutinize natural forms in

order to better comprehend the visual world around them. To learn to draw is often

considered in the same way as learning to see. Sometimes the objects start to rot

away while the student is still struggling to grasp the basic idea of the form before

them. The rotting object also suggests ideas of mortality. Jodi’s ceramic pieces

encompass these features whilst making visible what is usually unseen or

unnoticed. What should be repulsive appears beautiful.

x equals 15

Lola Donoghue

After working in a lens factory in Tuam for two

years on leaving school, Lola realised that she

should be doing something else. She was

always interested in art at school but never

really thought she would be good enough to go

to art college. Initially apprehensive, she did

not know if she had made the right decision in

leaving a secure job and if her choice to

undertake the course at GTI would actually

lead anywhere. Quite quickly, she realized she

had made the right decision. Lola went on to

Limerick School of Art and Design and finished

a degree in Fine Art-Painting before completing

an Art and Design Teaching Diploma. She

achieved First Class Honours in both. She has

been teaching art at St. Colman’s College in

Claremorris Co. Mayo for the past five years.

Lola is showing a large, mixed media painting

for x equals. Based on architectural

elements of buildings and spaces seen while

travelling in Barcelona, the painting considers

formal qualities such as transparency and

solidity, openings and closings. Transparent

paper is echoed in solid colour. What appear to

be blobs of paint are areas of dense velvet.

Lola succeeds in her aim to create a light, airy

and pleasing atmospheric quality as well as a

sense of spatial continuity, rhythm and pattern.

x equals 14

Joanne Dolan

After several years of studying Public and Social Policy at NUIGalway, Joanne had had enough. With a limited portfolio and memories of art

classes at school, she applied for GTI and was accepted. Her skill and passion for drawing was recognized and nurtured. Joanne herself

discovered an area where she would be content to take the chance to try and make a living from it. After attaining a degree in Fine Art,

specializing in print, Joanne helped found the arts collective, First Draught. As part of First Draught, she has organized its debut exhibition

for Project 06. She has also exhibited at Tulca. First Draught are currently attempting to set up studio space for members of this collective.

Joanne’s contribution to x equals is titled Personal Graffiti. She charts the passage of notebook doodles, writings, sketches and mark-

making through a process of refinement and development towards finished pieces. It is often said that the journey is more important than the

final destination, and here Joanne tracks the drawing process as it begins with an immediate form of personal expression to end with a

potentially more considered, crafted and nuanced form of representation.

x equals 17

Rachel Dubber McCaffrey

Rachel had been living and working in Canada before returning to Ireland. She applied to GTI as a means to get

enough material together to do a degree in fine art. She finished her degree at GMIT in 2005. Rachel has had a

number of exhibitions in Galway and Dublin. More recently, she has shown as part of the 6x6 Tri Showcase in

China. Her work is also held in a number of private and public collections including the Galway City Arts Office,

Rooney Auctioneers and Paul Dillon Architects. Rachel is currently living in South Africa.

The prints for this exhibition are inspired by numerous trips to the prison facility on Robben Island. This facility has

existed as a place of exile and isolation for nearly 400 years and gained notoriety for its institutional brutality

during the apartheid regime. Today, it stands as a symbol of the victory over apartheid and the spirit of those

incarcerated. Each print attempts to articulate a sense of that oppression and history by reference to the prison’s

architectural forms and the everyday routine within those confines.

x equals 16

Martin Dooney

It was always Martin’s intention to study visual art and he accepted a place on the portfolio course at GTI immediately after his Leaving

Cert. On completion of the course, Martin was accepted to study sculpture at the National College of Art and Design and developed his

interest in socially engaged art practice. On completion of his degree, Martin has begun a Higher Diploma in Community Art Education.

He is currently on placement with Focus Ireland as part of this course. He has also worked at Coolmine Stabilisation Clinic and in

Community and Day Care Centres in The Coombe and Inchicore.

In response to the call for submissions for x equals, and in completing the questionnaire, Martin found himself considering the

notion of self analysis in the light of Paulo Freire’s dictum of ‘act, reflect, act, reflect’. In response to his own awareness of his tendency

to over-analyse even the most banal issues in life, he is displaying a large bar chart, colour code and a diary page. This information

give details of everyday concerns such as how often he thinks about cigarettes in the space of a week (having quit three weeks ago).

It also attempts to map other shifts of mind such as considering how his confidence in his artistic capabilities has fluctuated over the

past five years. This is to the point where he tracks his shift in opinion of his own proposal over the course of its making. There is an

obvious vein of black humour running through this piece provoking thoughts of the benefits and limitations of this style of self analysis.

x equals 19

Aoife Geary

After GTI, Aoife went on to study Sculpture in Galway

Mayo Institute of Technology. Selected for Claremorris

Open Exhibition 2006, Aoife has forthcoming

exhibitions in, among others, the National Museum of

Ireland and the Custom House Art Gallery, Westport.

From Carna, in Connemara, Aoife has a strong sense

of identity connected to the Irish language, landscape

and history. She claims her work ‘can be seen to

reflect upon contemporary socio-political pressures

which are being brought to bear upon our landscape’.

Her installation for x equals arises from a

consideration of these issues. Aoife is building boat

walls supported by an old fashioned method of

scaffolding made from original currach pieces.

These structures refer to formal qualities such as

weight and enclosure and contain the metaphorical

resonances of artefact, authenticity, tradition and

archaeology. The walls also contain a sound element

based on recordings from the Connemara landscape.

These, according to Aoife refer to the ‘Irish language,

of the hardships of being indigenous to this

Connemara landscape’.

x equals 18

Deirdre Duffy

After GTI, Deirdre went on to study for a

BDes (Hons) in Textiles at the National

College of Art and Design, qualifying in

2005. Deirdre stresses that gaining a

thorough grounding in the fundamental

issues of drawing and composition at GTI

has given her a strong foundation for

developing her work as a textile artist.

She has exhibited at the National Crafts

Competition Winners Exhibition that has

recently toured Ireland.

Deirdre is presenting a large wall hung

textile installation for this exhibition. It

consists of three pieces and is

accompanied by a book of related

drawings and photographs that match

the atmosphere created by the main

piece. The themes of serenity and

humbleness are developed

through the image of the small

figure being overwhelmed by

the vast expanse of sea

surrounding them.

These themes are echoed in

the attention given to the

colour, stitching, folds and

textures of the material.

x equals 21

Susie Griffin

Susie had completed a number of part time courses in art before choosing the Art course at GTI on

leaving school. She had a strong idea of what she wanted to do. At the National College of Art and

Design Susie studied Glass and has recently completed her degree there.

For x equals, Susie is exhibiting two glass panels. These panels are, to all intents and purposes,

drawings. The format is that of a sketchbook page and the subject matter is the spontaneous record of

a crowd scene and everyday moments of ordinary life. Susie has a direct, immediate way of drawing.

There is no reworking or changes of mind. In this work, drawings with copper wire and coloured lines

are frozen in the semi-transparent glass so as to preserve the sense of a fleeting moment.

x equals 20

Katherine Greene

Originally trained as a chef, Katherine ran a successful business as a candle maker selling wholesale throughout Ireland and at

Galway market for many years. After a serious assault, Katherine was left with permanent back damage. Faced with this, and the

obvious impact this would have on her life, Katherine chose the study of art and design at GTI as a means to explore possible

ways to continue to earn a living through art. From this, she chose to undertake a degree in Fine Art, specializing in paint.

She is also training as an art facilitator, helping children and adolescents deal with difficulties such as bereavement and separation.

Katherine has contributed two pieces for x equals. Crow is a still life combining objects around which various personal narratives

are entwined. The white scalloped pumpkin was grown from seed and is closely associated with the death of a close friend. The

crow was killed by her cat as food for two found kittens she was reluctantly mothering. Connemara Water Lily links a journey to

New York to visit a close cousin after 9/11, repeated visits to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to sketch the lilies there, and, her own

precarious journeys into the bog to capture the frail beauty and tough existence of the Connemara Lily.

Both of these pieces reveal a process of working through material so as to accept the nature of things.

x equals 23

Tess Higgins

Tess Higgins started working in the fashion industry in the 1960s. After

marrying and raising a family, she returned to work before finishing in 1997.

This allowed her the time and space to do something for herself. Tess

became aware of the course at GTI when undertaking a VTOS course in

Interior Design. This was her first encounter with art since her schooldays.

Her experience of the course was characterized by the energetic

atmosphere and friendships that developed as well as the demands of

encountering a new range of artistic disciplines. Tess has continued on

what she calls her ‘journey of a lifetime’ and is now in the final year of an

ACCS course in Fine Art. She also finds time to take extra classes in

printmaking.

Tess has contributed two prints of handbags to the exhibition. They have

been developed from sketches from her notebooks and from recollections

from her childhood. In particular, she recalls her own fascination of an

itinerant lady who would visit the neighbourhood to collect flour, sugar, tea

and salt. These goods would be stored in separate compartments built into

a bag that was highly decorated with buttons and ephemera. Tess has

created two photo screen etchings based on the theme of handbags.

Handbags are functional items that can be highly decorated. There is also

that childhood fascination of the secrets of a grown up’s handbag. Tess has

managed to capture this sense of mystery in these prints.

x equals 22

Caren Hession

Caren’s early interest in animation encouraged

her to study art. She came to GTI straight from

her Leaving Cert., understanding it as a valuable

stepping stone towards a degree in Fine Art.

Indeed, she recalls the course as giving her a

solid technical and theoretical foundation in the

visual arts that she continues to draw upon.

Caren is now in her final year of a BA (Hons) Fine

Art, specializing in sculpture.

It might be said that the early interest in animation

reveals itself in her time based-video piece to

feel. It consists of a thirty-five second piece of film

looped continuously. Out of darkness, a milky

cloud emerges slowly and grows. It folds over

itself and expands to the point where it fills the

projected screen. The eye is caught up in

following the bellowing forms and is quietly

tempered. Suddenly, the film stops and reverses

at high speed back to the initial darkness.

This is matched by an audio accompaniment of a

figure gasping. At this point, the link between the

visuals and the breathing body is made apparent.

This is a work considering the delicacy of

expression, the preciousness of being open to

communication and the instinctive recoil we have

when threatened.

x equals 25

Claire Holian

Claire came to GTI straight from school to prepare a portfolio for her applications to art colleges. The knowledge, skills

and experience of this year gave her a solid foundation for her further education. She has recently finished her final

year of her degree in Fine Art at GMIT, specializing in paint. Claire has already had a number of exhibitions such as

her contribution to First Draught which was part of Galway’s Project 06.

Her installation for x equals takes a boxed room as her starting point. All objects and contents have been removed.

The interior is covered with blackboard paint. Chalk outlines of the previous contents are marked onto the surfaces.

The result is strangely disconcerting in that the viewer is constantly re-imagining the objects from their two-dimensional

profile. The eye is rarely allowed to settle as it shifts from an acknowledgement of the immediate physicality of the

space to the perceptual memory of what should be there.

x equals 24

Kathleen Hinde

Throughout her life, Kathleen has always had an

interest in visual art but has only until recently been

able to give sufficient time to this. Having studied

ecology, taught biology and physics at secondary level

and science to emotionally and behaviourally

disturbed boys, she then studied law and worked as a

solicitor for over ten years. While attending various

classes in weaving, mosaics and calligraphy at

different stages, Kathleen was drawn to life drawing

classes by chance. An extra person was needed to

allow one such class to run and Kathleen was press-

ganged into filling the role. Her move to Galway has

allowed her more time and space to develop her

talents. She was encouraged to apply for the Art

Portfolio Course in GTI after attending life drawing

classes in NUIGalway. Her experience of studying art

full time was both challenging and stimulating.

Kathleen is now in her first year of a degree in art and

design at GMIT.

Self Portrait is a boxed assemblage based on the idea

of the butterfly. It was inspired by the rope drawings of

Patrick Ireland. The butterfly is a recognized symbol

for metamorphosis and change, something Kathleen

has encountered many times in her life. It also

signifies a flitting, light and carefree existence we often

aspire to as well as a sense of restlessness and

rootlessness. Through its various connotations, we are

invited to consider how the artist can view themselves.

x equals 27

Catriona Keane

Catriona went on to study Fashion Design at Limerick on completing her year at GTI, qualifying in 2004.

Since then, she has managed to build up a considerable amount and variety of experience within the world

of fashion. She has most recently assisted the milliner Rodney Gordon who is based in New York. This

involved working on all aspects of the assembly of the collection, from drafting pattern to cutting and hand

stitching. Catriona has also created jewellery for Crystal Mosaic in Paris, worked as an assistant designer to

Martine Sitbon and Momoko Hashigami in Paris and undertook work experience for Irish designer Joanne

Hayes in London. Catriona is currently living in Paris and continues to design fashion collections of her own.

For x equals, she is presenting five outfits that she has designed and manufactured. The first dress is a

loose and free-flowing outfit and balances a sense of freedom with elegance. The second is more formal in

tone and style yet is clearly indebted to the classic vest design. Another incorporates a pair of y-fronts as an

integral element of the design. Her outfits are underscored by a playful humour and a delicate touch.

x equals 26

Ciaran Hussey

Having qualified with a diploma in electronic engineering and finding this less than interesting, the choice for

Ciaran was either to move towards music production or visual art. He had very little experience studying art.

However, as Ciaran was a member of a band at the time, the graphic element of the music business – flyer,

poster and album design – appealed to him. On the back of this, Ciaran applied and was accepted by GTI.

His experience of the course and his subsequent art education is one of being more open-minded and more

accepting of the ideas of others. He is now the third year of a degree in Fine Art at Limerick Institute of

Technology, specializing in print.

Ciaran has contributed a large screen print titled On the Wings of Maybe for the exhibition. It depicts an

aged female figure with an outstretched hand surrounded by butterflies. This is contained within a chaotic

scattering of colour that matches the random flight of the butterflies. There are obvious allegorical elements

at play here as well as hints of a personal narrative.

x equals 29

Mairead Morley

Always an avid collector of things, Mairead had an

interest in art from an early age. She applied to GTI

straight from school. The idea was that the Portfolio

Course could offer a useful bridge between her leaving

school and building up relevant experience and

resources for her application to art college. This had a

number of challenges. First, there was the challenge of

facing a much looser timetable and less structured

classes when compared to her Leaving Certificate.

Secondly, she encountered a much more diverse mix of

people. And thirdly, there were the creative demands of

the course where, as Mairead puts it, ‘you had to pull it

out of yourself’. Mairead has subsequently attained a

distinction in Fine Art at Limerick School of Art and

Design. She has also travelled widely and is currently

working towards a photographic exhibition based on her

work in Mwandi in Zambia.

Her work for x equals is based on a found photograph

from her collection. It is a photograph taken in America in

the 1900’s. Mairead has re-photographed the image so

as to subtly insert her own image. Her eyes are blind-

folded to give the image a disconcerting air, not least

because of the illusion that this is a historical document.

The work alludes to restriction in its various forms;

restriction in terms of the steadied pose before the long

exposure of nineteenth century photography or restriction

in terms of class and gender that can be seen to apply to

present circumstances.

x equals 28

Georgina McGoldrick

Having repeated her Leaving Certificate, Gina started a course in Industrial Design

in Letterkenny Institute of Technology. In the first couple of months of the course

she studied both graphic design and industrial design subjects and it was then that

she realised graphic design was the way for her. After a year and a half of

Industrial Design she decided to leave and undertake the portfolio course to help

her in her new direction. After the art course in GTI, Gina was delighted to have

secured a place in the visual communications (graphic design) degree programme

in Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, as this had always been

her first choice course throughout the year at GTI. She is currently in the fourth and

final year of her degree at IADT.

The piece to be exhibited for x equals is the opening titles sequence for the

surreal, magical film 'Rooflander' (a film by one of the final year film students at the

National Film School, IADT). Accompanying this is a two sided display including

the film poster, the film’s DVD pack and promotional material. This display also

details a project visualising the national identity for the imaginary country – Civilité.

x equals 31

Ciaran Murphy

After GTI, Ciaran completed a degree in

Fine Art at the National College of Art and

Design and a MA in Visual Arts Practice at

Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and

Technology. He has been exhibiting

successfully both nationally and

internationally. In recent years, Ciaran

was selected for Eurojet Futures

exhibition at the Royal Hibernian

Academy, Here Comes Everybody at the

Project Arts Centre and for Remote

Access at the Rubicon Gallery. He is now

attached to Mother’stankstation, a private,

non-aligned commercial gallery

based in Dublin.

Ciaran commonly paints curious scenes

from the natural world on a small scale.

Indeed, the intimacy this scale

encourages is matched by a delicate

handling of paint. Texture, spatial

ambiguity and the tension between formal

and representational elements are

constantly held in suspension.

It is as if the artist purposely treads a fine

line between standard painterly

competence and an unacceptable naivete

as a means to protect a frail vision of

innocence captured and preserved in oils.

x equals 30

Gearoid Muldowney

An element of doubt so often ghosts the decisions

we have to make. Sensing he needed to be sure

about the kind of educational experience he

wanted, Gearoid chose the Portfolio Course as a

means to test the waters about an art education

and to build up a portfolio should he wish to

pursue art further. He proceeded to undertake a

design degree at the National College of Art and

Design, specializing in metals. Gearoid is now in

his final year of his degree and already has been

included in a group show in Helsinki and at the

RDS crafts exhibition at the Dublin horse show.

His heritage bag ware designs take traditional Irish

crafts as the chief source of inspiration. The Saint

Brigit’s Cross, willow baskets, traditional leather

making and Aran sweaters have been closely

examined in order to create playful and

humourous designs that clearly have their place in

the world of contemporary fashion. This is but one

strand of Gearoid’s practice. His Silver and Walnut

Candelabra won first place in the 2005 Farmleigh

House silverware collection and his Resonance

Bell, crafted from silver, enamel, glass and

rosewood, came second in the 2005 Evian

silverware competition.

x equals 33

Keith Nevin

Keith had been working in various jobs and travelling for a number of years. He had worked in a solicitor’s

office, in accountancy and bookkeeping and had travelled to America among other places. While he had never

any formal art training, he had always an interest in art. The Portfolio Course was one of several courses he had

applied to on return to Galway and approached GTI with nothing but enthusiasm. The experience was of a

competitive but supportive environment. The course also offered ‘new ways of thinking’ and a new range of

methods by which to approach things. Keith is now in the final year of a degree in Fine Art. Having gathered

some teaching experience along the way, the hope is to attain a balance between teaching and studio practice.

Work for x equals develops ideas presented in the University College Hospital Galway for Tulca 2006.

The nature of the work is shaped by its relationship to its immediate environment. The forms, textures and

markings on the surface of each piece arise from a negotiation of interior and exterior space the artist confronts

in his everyday practice.

x equals 32

Eilis Murphy

The history of collage is often characterized by a tension between the formal play of various combined materials and

the narratives brought into play by an incongruous selection of imagery. Eilis’s collages can be read in similar terms.

Her recent work exhibited for her solo show in the Goethe Institute, to take one example, set frogs, cakes on plates,

detailed drawings of plants and ordinance survey maps of townlands amidst the textured swirls and natural motifs of

wallpaper. She conjures up a strange new world balanced on the cusp of the quaint and a disconcerting vision.

Her work for x equals also retains this edge, reminding us that the traditions of collage and print are also founded

on a playful humour at the heart of making art.

Since completing her Portfolio Course at GTI and a degree in Fine Art Print at the National College of Art and Design,

Eilis has had a number of group and solo exhibitions. These include the aforementioned show at the Goethe

Institute, the Charlestown Town Hall Arts Centre and the Custom House gallery in Westport. She also has an

upcoming solo show in the Galway Arts Centre in 2007. As well as exhibiting widely, Eilis has undertaken a number

of residencies and internships that have allowed her to pursue her specialism in bookmaking. These include a

placement at Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown Arts Office and an internship at the Centre for Book Arts in New York.

x equals 35

Aoife O’Toole

Too often, we forget about the dilemmas we face when

encountering choices in education. While Aoife was sure that

she wanted to go to art college, she was still left with the choice

whether to study fine art or a more pragmatic subject such as

graphic design. GTI persuaded her towards the former, allowing

her to then explore further choices such as whether to specialize

in craft based disciplines, or two or three dimensional design.

Aoife attained a place in the National College of Art and Design,

studying sculpture before choosing the joint honours course,

dividing her time equally between fine art and the history of art.

From this, she developed an interest in arts administration and

organizing exhibitions. She is currently working as Education

Assistant in the Museum of Archaeology in Kildare Street.

Her joy of working with people through art will be evident in

x equals. For two of the weekends, Aoife will set up a

Response Room to hold art activities and organize tours of the

exhibition. Children will be able to decide on their favourite works

and will make their own presentation to the winning selections.

As such, Aoife is our official Outreach Officer for x equals.

x equals 34

Michael O’Grady

Before the course in GTI Michael studied history and philosophy in NUIGalway. He left that course to attend the portfolio preparation

course. This was his first experience of art education having not had that opportunity at school. Michael found that art offered him a chance

to combine creative expression and new ways of thinking with his interest in political and social issues. Michael graduated with a degree in

Fine Art from the National College of Art and Design in 2004. He works as a professional artist and has had a number of exhibitions in

Ireland, France and China.

The painting Michael is showing in x equals combines found materials with collage and hyper-real imagery. Influenced by his perception

of the world around him as opposed to any particular artist or movement, the paintings create visual puzzles to be solved by the viewer.

Was the plywood really like that when he found it or did the artist make those marks? These questions remind us that all images are

manufactured by the artist and help us focus on the why of the making.

x equals 37

Elaine Reynolds

Elaine came straight from school to do the portfolio preparation

art course at GTI. She went on to the National College of Art and

Design where she is currently in her final year in Sculpture.

As part of x equals, Elaine is showing a video piece entitled

‘Production/ De-construction Line’. This was recorded whilst

visiting Slovenia on an Erasmus exchange. The production line

manufacturing process is based on the division of a job into a

number of separate tasks which are done by different people.

In the interest of efficiency, each person repeats the same task.

This repetition results in a sense of alienation in the worker from

the task, from fellow workers and from the end product.

The film explores the negative attributes of repetition whilst

acknowledging the trance like state and spiritual gain that can be

attained through repetition. Origami always begins with a square

of paper, and even after significant transformation can be

unfolded into a square of paper again. The same applies to

knitting and wool. The purpose of the deconstruction is to

suggest the notion of an endless cycle and feeling of

timelessness that is experienced by so many workers.

x equals 36

Allison Regan

At the heart of GTI’s Portfolio Course is an emphasis on core drawing skills. It might initially appear that Allison has moved far away

from such activity when considering her sound installation for x equals. The roots of this audio score lie in recordings of a group of

some twenty people choreographed around the act of sweeping brushes. Allison captures the sounds of brushing against various

materials such as carpet, water, pebbles and sheet metal. These vary in rhythm, pitch and frequency. The recordings are then drawn

through editing software so as to create a haunting soundscape born from these everyday, familiar actions. Yet, Allison is insistent upon

the centrality of drawing to her working process, hence her choice to exhibit preparatory sketches that trace the evolution of her project.

Allison has recently attained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art, specializing in sculpture. She is a co-founder of the First Draught collective whose

activities include a recent group exhibition as part of Project 06. She has also exhibited in 14 Degrees, a video exhibition that has

toured Galway and Cork.

x equals 39

Rowena Sheen

After a while in the National College of Art and Design, Rowena realised that she was no longer interested in studying her original

choice of fashion. She entered the metals and jewellery department and is currently in third year. Third year students are given the

opportunity to participate in the ERASMUS programme which involves working in a foreign city usually within the EU. Rowena is

presently studying in the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague. Rowena values the independence and stimulation of

an art education and thrives in this active learning environment.

Rowena has submitted a sundial for x equals. Made of silver and roughly 10cm high, the work is a response to a second year

project based on the theme of purity. She chose the circle as her starting point. This simple form led her to investigate the heavenly

spheres. This brought her to the idea of the sundial. Rowena was joint runner up in the National Museum of Ireland Annual Student

Silverware Design Competition. The museum purchased the sundial and it is now in Visible Storage in Collins Barracks.

x equals 38

Gina Ruane

When speaking of her art education, Gina gives an

apt description that is worth quoting at length:

It gives you the necessary tools to creatively and

critically assess and react to your environment and

yourself. It opens a gateway to visceral craving for

knowledge and creativity which for me is life’s

driving force.

The idea of an education suffusing the whole life

experience is one increasingly overshadowed by a

dour pragmatism that tailors education to the

demands of the market economy. This sense of

questioning and an open-minded exploration of

things can be found at the heart of Gina’s work. Her

untitled wall piece consists of 102 small zinc plate

etchings with pen and ink markings trace the

passage of time in the process of their making as if

analogous to an existential search for meaning. Bag

Diaries also embrace chance encounters and the

way of things in recording markings made on small

etching plates that were each placed in her pocket

or bag for one day. Each piece may be viewed as

an attempt to visualize the intangible elements and

flux that underscore our everyday lives.

Gina attended GTI’s Portfolio Course on leaving

school and has recently graduated in Fine Art Print

at GMIT. She is a member of the First Draught

Collective, Lorg Printmakers and has recently

exhibited at Tulca.

x equals 41

Sarah Slattery

Sarah had always loved art in school but she only considered taking the subject further late in her final year.

Only seventeen when she left school she wanted to gain some experience of art and design education before

taking on a third level course. On completion of the art course at GTI she was accepted to Limerick School of

Art and Design. She is currently in her third year of a degree in Graphic Design.

Sarah’s work includes fashion photography, packaging design and advertising photography. All the photography

pieces submitted for x equals have an underlying humour and subversive quality. The fashion photography is

influenced by Manet and his painting Tipsy Woman. Her work also takes heed of the qualities of hand-painted

postcards from the early 1900s. This referencing of past styles remind us of the contemporaneous attitudes

towards women that can be contrasted with present-day settings and their use as fashion photography.

x equals 40

Rosanne Simon

Due to a variety of circumstances,

Rosanne was not able to go to art college

in France when she finished secondary

school there. After many part time jobs in

Ireland, Rosanne became more convinced

that she wanted to have a job which would

be challenging in a creative way. When her

contract ended as a general operative for

ICE Group she took a chance and took a

place on the art course at GTI.

On completion of the course Rosanne was

accepted to colleges in Limerick and at

home in Nantes. She decided to stay in

Ireland and go to Limerick School of Art

and Design and study Graphic Design.

The work Rosanne is exhibiting for

x equals is a ceramic piece called

The Topiarist. This was a design project

where students were asked to represent a

profession chosen at random. As one of

the few jobs she hadn’t done, Rosanne did

not know that a topiarist was someone who

clips shrubs into ornamental shapes.

In her work, the topiarist becomes a hedge.

Are we what we do? This deceptively

intricate piece reflects Rosanne’s quirky

sense of humour and independent

approach to graphic design.

x equals 43

Martin Tiernan

Martin did two years studying civil engineering in GMIT before starting

the course at GTI. Determined to study architecture, he thought that

the art portfolio course would help him achieve this. He went on to do

Architectural Technology in DIT then worked for four years to gain

valuable experience. Martin is currently in 3rd year Architecture in UCD.

For x equals, Martin has submitted work undertaken for the James

Joyce Exhibition building in the National Library in Dublin.

This consists of drawings of two elements of a building design.

Working closely with the Office of Public Works for almost a year, he

saw the project through from design stage to completion.

The two sheets presented illustrate his plans for a fine oak screening

for the ceiling fans and a European oak reading table. This work

demonstrates Martin’s acute attention to detail, his sensitivity to

materials and understanding of the interaction of form and function.

x equals 42

Mairead Spellman

Mairead started the portfolio course straight after school planning with the intention of studying graphic design. Uncertain of her decision

at that time, she left to do one year of an Environmental Science course at the University of Limerick. Richer for the experience, Mairead

chose to go to Dun Laoighaire’s Institute of Art, Design and Technology and was awarded an honours degree in Fine Art in 2006.

Her art qualification enabled her to undertake voluntary work with a community for special needs in Dundrum. Her experience of

facilitating art sessions with these different levels of needs helped to confirm her decision to go on to do a Masters in Art Therapy.

Indeed, Mairead’s motivation for making her own work is to use art as a form of therapy. She endeavours to draw on her subconscious

and her instincts, and in her painting for x equals, organic shapes and swirls are painted across the canvas in vibrant tones. C.G.

Jung's writings on active imagination is a reference point and Mairead believes the subconscious can be accessed through creativity.

Subsequently, that that what is concealed may be revealed. Art therapy uses these processes as an opportunity to understand and treat

psychological disturbance and trauma. Mairead uses this process as a starting point for her own creative output and as a point of

empathy with prospective patients.

x equals 45

Ian Walton

While Ian was certain that he wanted to study Graphic

Design, he was faced with the dilemma whether to

study graphics (2D) or Industrial Design (3D).

GTI gave Ian the space to consider this as well as to

sharpen his drawing skills. To have his older style

challenged and being forced to think afresh through

the experience of drawing is a lesson that still bears

fruit in his current practice. Ian is currently finishing his

degree in Industrial Design at the National College of

Art and Design. His hope is that he can set up an

independent studio collective in Ireland and continue to

build on his established credentials.

Two collaborative projects (with Eoin McNally) have

been selected for the exhibition. The first is the

Glo Pillow, an LED design that gently wakes the

sleeper in contrast to the traditional alarm clock that

shocks the body into action. This was an award winner

for the Royal Society of Art Design Directions in 2006.

The second is a design satisfying the brief Kitchens of

the Future set by the German manufacturer, Miele.

Inspired by environmental issues, notions of self-

sufficiency, and, the importance of aesthetic innovation

at the heart of everyday life, the team have proposed a

fresh approach to the indoor kitchen garden. It consists

of a system providing light and water into which can be

inserted decomposable pots containing seedlings.

The idea is a kind of ‘plug and play’ for plants inspired

by minimalist Scandinavian design.

x equals 44

x equals 47x equals 46

Liam Ward

Bored with working in Boston Scientific, Liam took up drawing as a pastime.

Within a few months, he had applied to GTI with the intention of then

applying to art college. The year was characterized by his joy of meeting like-

minded souls, the challenge of having to work with a wide range of different

media, and by his surprise that a range of opportunities have subsequently

opened up for him. Liam applied to and was accepted onto a degree in Fine

Art Media and Art History at the National College of Art and Design where he

is now on his second year.

Liam has contributed a DVD piece for the exhibition, titled Ascension. In tune

with previous work, it explores notions of death and rebirth through visions of

nature and the human life cycle. The work is a response to his own situation

where his grandfather was taken into the family home to be cared for.

Helen Walsh

Helen always had the intention to study Interior Design and came straight from school to do the course at GTI. She wanted to spend a

year considering other aspects of art and design, learn new skills and to draw breath after the Leaving Certificate. Helen has just

completed her four years of study, gaining a degree in Interior & Furniture Design at Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin.

The piece Helen is exhibiting for x equals is part of her final year project. Her brief was to choose an existing building and redesign

the interior. She decided to use a building in Galway given the sheer amount of new development in the area. She also required a

building of considerable size as she wanted to express interior design ideas relating to a boutique hotel. The building she chose is

NUIGalway’s Arus Moyola. Helen is presenting proposal and layout sheets for this building’s radical transformation.

x equals 48

Bennie Williams

Bennie had applied for art college on

leaving school but, for one reason and

another, never went. Over the years,

she raised a family in County Clare and

spent much of her creative energy in

gardening, landscaping and stone wall

building. After a break-up and other life

changing circumstances, Bennie

considered visual art once more and

GTI offered her a place. Her experience

of the course was that staff were

extremely flexible, allowing her the time

and space to explore and develop her

artistic abilities. Bennie is now in her

second year of a degree in Fine Art,

specializing in paint.

The joy of just painting is clear to see in

these works on show. They are intimate

landscapes of the area immediately

around her home. Various biographical

features can be found here such as her

red bicycle, a large palm, the ex-

boyfriend’s car and Brucie withering

under the summer heat. These works

do not consciously trace aspects of her

life but rather remind us of the value of

finding simple pleasure in things around

us through the activity of paint.