River Camac documentary to premiere at Áras Chrónáin
On November 10, Áras Chrónáin will host a premiere screening of a documentary film based on the River Camac, Ripples on the Camac, at 8 pm.
The documentary is a 15-minute short film by School of Looking artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly, in collaboration with Ken Whelan, fisheries scientist and members of Friends of the Camac.
The piece dives deep into the biodiversity and heritage of the river as it flows through the parklands west of Clondalkin, past the sediment ponds of the former Clondalkin paper mills and artificial waterways that are “now so overgrown that it is difficult to distinguish the engineering from the natural.”
Nicknamed “The Drinker” by people of a certain age in Clondalkin, the river is steeped in local history and tells stories going back as far as the 18th Century, when it played an essential role in the oil mills and gunpowder mills of the area.
Well-established artists Anne Cleary and Denis Connolly have shown at the Pompidou Centre, the Barbican and the Tate Modern and are now returning to Clondalkin with their latest piece of work.
“Participative and engaged”, their work often involves collaborations with scientists, other artists and the public, taking many forms but focusing always on the act of looking – a conversation with the eye of the beholder.
Since 2017, they have been practising under the name “The School of Looking” to reflect this overarching programme of their work.
Attendees are in for a special screening at Áras Chrónáin next week, with Anne and Denis introducing the documentary before Ken will give a brief synopsis of the Camac.
A public discussion will also be held following the film, offering interested audience members the chance to learn even more.Ripples on the Camac is part of the School of
Looking Catchments programme and is supported by South Dublin County Council Arts Office.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
