Stranger Than We Thought
The legacy of avant-garde art practice in 20th century Ireland is often considered a blank space. Yet the work of a remarkable archive is proving this to be a memory lapse. Since 1974, the Aisteach Foundation has recovered and rediscovered artworks, recordings, and documents relating to a rich vein of overlooked Irish avant-garde artists, mainly composers; in doing so, it has radically altered our sense of our own national artistic heritage.
Aisteach is the Irish word for strange, and the only term that truly unites the work of these artists. Among the collection is a radical feminist keening circle, a 1940s fiddler-turned-tape-loop pioneer, and an outsider artist imbuing cassettes with healing powers. The commitment to their own singular artistic visions led to surprising connections far beyond this island, and deep journeys within. In an Ireland riven by cultural conservatism, it also meant marginalisation, and until recently, disappearance.
‘Stranger Than We Thought’ is an invitation into the archive’s catalogue. With President of the Aisteach Foundation Dr Jennifer Walshe as our guide, we ask why the work of these artists was forgotten, and what value it has today. Presenter Tom Roseingrave travels across Ireland to meet writers, artists, academics and composers in celebration of an archive that is very much alive. Contributors include Alice Maher, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Kevin Barry, Jack Fennell, and Stephen Graham.
Presenter: Tom Roseingrave
Producer: Tom Roseingrave
Producer for RTÉ lyric fm: Eoin O Kelly
A Tom Roseingrave production for RTÉ lyric fm funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland with the Television Licence fee.
(First tx. 29th March 2020)
RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 22nd November, 6pm-7pm