Since 2015 the Dance Artist in Residence Programme at Uillinn has enabled opportunities for the people of West Cork to have access to, and engagement with contemporary dance practice of excellence. (Tara Brandel 2015-16; Helga Deasy 2017-18; and Mairead Vaughan 2019-20).

Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre is delighted to continue working with Dance artist and Choreographer Luke Murphy as our Dance Artist in Residence for a fourth year as part of a five-year dance development plan (2021 – 2025). Luke is our fourth dance artist to be awarded this role, supported by the Arts Council and in partnership with Cork County Council.

PLEASE SEE HERE FOR ARCHIVED DANCE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE LUKE MURPHY INFORMATION FROM 2021 TO 2023

Dance Artist in Residence 2024, Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre

Luke Murphy, Attic Projects

I’m delighted that my residency with Uillinn is continuing into what is now its forth year. Since it began in 2021, initially supported through the Arts Council’s Dance Artist in Residence Scheme and now through the Arts Centre’s core funding, the relationship has occupied a unique place in my work and practice. Evolving over the years to support and assimilate my development as an artist and shifting to accommodate the irregular work patterns of an independent artist, the shape of the Residency has had a number of facets including providing space and time for me to explore aspects of my choreographic practice and research new work; the opportunity for me to share my dance knowledge and contacts with the Arts centre team and explore my curatorial skills via the Uillinn Dance Season and the Fastnet Film dance film programme; and a framework into which to invite other dance artists to do research in their own field practice at Uillinn and introduce them to the building, its team, its audience and unique setting (Kevin Coquelard - 2021, Mufutau Yusuf – 2022 and Ghaliah Conroy and Yasmin Mello - 2022). 

The residency has provided a valuable anchor point - a team, a building and a set of conversations that it's reassuring to return to when many other aspects of my work are constantly on the move; it has also enabled me to leverage and draw in other support that has made the production of some of my own new work possible: the film Crossing Skin (produced in 2021 with the support of an Uillinn /Arts Council Commission Award and presented at the Fastnet Film Festival 2022) and the outdoor dance work Slow Tide (presented as part of Skibbereen Arts Festival 2022 and supported with Arts Grant funding).  

For this fourth year of the residency alongside making a curatorial contribution to The Fastnet Film programme and the Uillinn Dance Season and having a presence at these events, I will be undertaking a week’s research with a small group of collaborators towards a large-scale work – the Prometheus Project – planned for production in 2026/27. Importantly, the residency will continue to be a place for conversations and exchange of knowledge between myself and the Arts Centre, a process that enables us to understand more about each other and our respective practices.  As a Cork-based Artist, with a long-standing personal relationship with West Cork, it is invigorating and enriching to work in the region. I would not have been able to pursue that without the support of Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre, its resources and contacts, and I’m delighted and appreciative of this fourth Residency year. 

BIOGRAPHY

Originally from Cork City, Luke is a performer/ writer/ director and choreographer working across various mediums in Europe, the UK and USA.

Luke founded Attic Projects in 2014 as an umbrella for his various independent projects in dance, film and theatre. His work has been supported by various commissions, awards and residencies internationally including Arts Council of Ireland, Cork City Council, CultureIreland, New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project (USA), Kaatsbaan International Dance Centre (USA), Pavilion Theatre, Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Irish Arts Centre, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, DanceLimerick, DanceBase Edinburgh, Tribeca Performing Arts Centre, DanceNow Silo Kirkland Farm, Tanz Tendendz Munich, b12 Berlin and others. 

He is Artist in Residence at Dublin Dance Festival 2023-2025 and funded annually by The Arts Council of Ireland Arts Grant since 2018.

He has created and performed twelve evening length works throughout Ireland, Germany, UK and USA (Drenched 2012, Icarus 2013, Your Own Man/Mad Notions 2015, On Triumph and Trauma 2016, The Dust We Raised 2017, ExCaelo 2018, The Milkyboy Kid 2018, Carnivore 2019, Villains 2019, Clouds and Boulders: Mapping Terrain 2020, Volcano 2022).

Most recently his 2021 piece Volcano was the winner of Best Production, Best Movement, Best Lighting and Best Set at the Irish Times Theatre Awards (Ireland’s national theatre awards), with further nominations for Best Sound, Best New Play and Best Ensemble. 

Luke has danced with Ultima Vez from 2014-2018 touring internationally in productions of In Spite of Wishing and Wanting, Booty Looting and Spiritual Unity and Punchdrunk since 2009, performing leading roles in the original casts of The Burnt City, London (2022) The Third Day-Autumn (HBO/Sky TV 2020) Sleep No More in Shanghai (‘16-‘18), New York City (’11-‘15) as well as productions of The Drowned Man in London and Sleep No More in Boston. In addition, he has danced in the companies of Martha Clarke, Kate Weare and Pavel Zustiak, and in projects with Ben Duke, Alexandra Waierstall, Liz Roche, John Kelly, John Scott, Luca Silvestrini, Jonah Bokaer and Bill T Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company.

Luke is the producer and programming director of The Catch8 Workshop Series in Cork City, co-curator of dance programming at Uillinn West Cork Arts Centre and sits on the Board of Directors of The Firkin Crane.  

Luke trained at Point Park University where he earned his BFA in Dance and English in 2009 and University of Chichester where he earned an MA in Choreography in 2017.

WCAC acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Cork County Council in making these residencies possible.