The Glenkeen Variations: Transitional Terrains at Uillinn

Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre and the Crespo Foundation present:-

The Glenkeen Variations: Transitional Terrains

Saturday 20 September from 4.00pm to 6.00pm. Free event, booking on Eventbrite here: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-glenkeen-variations-transitional-terrains-at-uillinn-tickets-1657092150229 

Transitional Terrains presents new work by two international artist collectives and developed during three-month residencies at the Crespo Foundation’s Glenkeen Garden in West Cork.

Abécédaire of Fringes Book Launch

Abécédaire of Fringes collects the contributions of Francesca Verga , Vera Saccabarozzi , Luca Trevisani and Lorenzo Rebediani. The work stems from their explorations in Glenkeen Garden, where they investigated the zone where marine and terrestrial ecosystems meet. This transitional area, known as the ecotone, exists in a temporal and spatial reality all its own, transcending conventional notions of space and time, obliterating measurable distances and intervals. Conceived as an abecedary, the text combines personal reflections, scientific annotations, and philosophical analyses arising from the unique amphibious context of this region.

How to Navigate a Bog Presentation

In How to Navigate a Bog?, Max Brück, Yulia Carolin Kothe and Katerina Sidorova explore the relationship between humans and bog on the south coast of Ireland. During their residency at Glenkeen Garden, they collected local stories and researched the tradition of ‘bog butter’, where butter is sunk into bogs for preservation. Drawing on this practice, the artists created sculptural objects in the form of traditional bog butter jars, which act as sounding boards, echoing the voices of local people and highlighting the cultural, ecological and culinary significance of the bog.

The artists participated in the ArtNature/NatureArt residency programme at Glenkeen Garden in 2023. Glenkeen Garden is a site of around 10 hectares on the coast of West Cork. Carefully crafted by photographer, psychologist, and philanthropist Ulrike Crespo (1950—2019) along with her partner Michael Satke (1943—2024), this garden, nestled on the shores of Roaringwater Bay, has welcomed artists since 2021 for an artist-in-residence programme, facilitated by the Crespo Foundation. The Crespo Foundation is based in Frankfurt am Main and supports the arts and artists, as well as various educational and social initiatives.

Under the title ArtNature/NatureArt, the garden has been a temporary home for artists working across various media, immersing themselves in this distinctive environment and the unique and welcoming social tapestry of West Cork. A specific emphasis is placed on scientific collaboration, facilitated in cooperation with the Environmental Research Institute at the University College Cork and Frankfurt’s Senckenberg Research Institute.

The Glenkeen Variations is an exhibition and event series focused on the artists’ return to Ireland. Across events at the Goethe-Institut in Dublin and at Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre in Skibbereen, the former residents present their work to a broader audience and continue their discussions with research and community partners. The series is curated by Ben Livne Weitzman.

For more information on the ArtNature/NatureArt Residency Programme at Glenkeen Garden see: https://www.crespo-foundation.de/en/programme/glenkeen-garden-residencies