In a World Like This

Jaki Irvine and Michael Newman

Jaki Irvine and Michael Newman ‘in conversation’. A joint venture with Chisenhale Gallery on the occasion of Jaki Irvine’s solo exhibition ‘In a World Like This’. The conversation addressed and explored many of the abiding themes of Irvine’s work both through a consideration of the current Chisenhale exhibition and previous works, in particular ‘Another Difficult Sunset’ (1997) and ‘Irvana’s Answers’ (2000).

Jaki Irvine’s ‘In a World Like This’ is a multi-screen video projection shot at Eagles Flying, The Irish Raptor Research Centre in Ballymote, County Sligo, during her 2006 Model Fellowship at Model Arts and Niland Gallery.

Some of the birds at the Raptor Research Centre arrive in a poor state, whether through ill treatment at previous holdings or by sustaining injuries in the wild. At Eagles Flying, amongst the healing limbs and infections, new relationships are nurtured with great care and patience by the birds’ handlers. By tracing the sometimes hesitant yet elegant flights and landings of these impressive birds – to and from their handlers – the fragile lines between vulnerability, freedom, trust and dependence reveal themselves gradually in this installation comprising nine colour films and a soundtrack created by Irvine. ‘In a World Like This’ is concerned fundamentally with how we might best proceed in circumstances that are not perfect, but possibly the best they’re likely to be.
(Chisenhale Gallery)

Downloads:
Audio podcast – available soon.

Links:
Chisenhale Gallery, London.

See also:
‘The Trouble with Talkies’, May 2005.
‘1+1+1’ issue two, May 2005.
‘The Way Things Work’ (cycle two), November 2008.

Notes have been disabled.