Cloudlands receives Arts Council funding for nationwide tour

We are excited to announce that Helium has received an Arts Council Touring and Dissemination of Work Award to exhibit work arising from the Cloudlands project to arts venues and hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Waterford and Limerick in 2016.

Helium’s Cloudlands project is an artist residency programme connecting with teenagers in hospital through collaborative projects. Through the Cloudlands tour, we aim to engage with new audiences both within and beyond the hospital. Artists Rachel Tynan and Eszter Némethi have developed two distinct projects, both with themes of other worlds, alternate realities and hidden stories.

Rachel Tynan, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, worked with teenagers to develop the Titans, an installation formed through a beautiful family of wooden figures with sound recordings of the teenagers’ stories hidden inside. From a Star Lady who heals, to a transforming cheeky Faun, the Titans will uncover another world that sheds light on the characters and their lives. The Titans will tour to arts venues. http://www.racheltynan.ie/

Eszter Némethi, Cork University Hospital, has worked with a group of teenage collaborators to develop Radio/Silence, an interactive radio game which alters the hospital environment for the listener. During the broadcast, listeners are invited to dial in using their own mobile phones where they can take control of the action and affect the outcome depending on the decisions they make. This piece will tour to teenagers in hospital, the target audience for the work. Radio/Silence will also be available to access through participating galleries in documentary form.

A series of talks and special events will accompany the exhibition programme. Partnering arts venues and hospitals will be announced in the autumn.

The Cloudlands project is funded by The Arts Council, BNP Paribas Foundation Smart Start Programme, Cork City Council Arts Office, HSE South, and the Health Services Credit Union.