Isadora Epstein - Voyage

Exhibition continues 11^th March – 27^th April 2024

Closing Performance at 2.30pm and 3.30pm on Saturday 27th April. Booking essential!

Isadora Epstein brings her singularly unconventional approach to this exhibition of new work commissioned by Mermaid Arts Centre, drawing on the mythology and history of the voyage of St Brendan from Ireland to North America.

The show and performance is hosted by Jasconius, the infernal whale encountered by Saint Brendan and his curragh full of monks, which they mistook as an island at the start of their transatlantic passage off of the west coast of Ireland.

Taking inspiration from the immrama, stories of Irish Sea journeys to the other world, the Voyage Performance is devised by Isadora Epstein, with artist Stéphane Béna Hanly in collaboration with Brian Rogers, and Liadán Scott Keogh, musicians Méabh McKenna and Seamas Hyland, costumes by Amie Egan, backdrop painting by Kathy Tynan and choreography by Saoirse Sexton.

Voyage is both an event and a travel agency, welcoming passengers to other worlds, while bringing together a crew of artists on a holiday package tour that navigates the global seas in search to find mythical islands. Drawing from stories about sixth century Irish saint Brendan The Navigator’s fabled transatlantic passage, recorded in Book of Lismore and the medieval hit Navigatio Brendani, the audience is invited to join in this travelogue.

The exhibition is accompanied by a limited edition Travel Guide of the Seven Seas, made by Isadora Epstein in collaboration with designer Stina Sanström.

Commissioned as part of Mermaid Arts Centre’s 2024 LEISURE visual art programme, a series of new works exploring sites of leisure, rest, care and fun, drawing on Bray town’s history as a ‘fine day out’ and holiday destination.

Biographies

Isadora Epstein makes performances from her research of art history and mythology. Her work brings together a multidisciplinary ensemble of artists working in visual art, experimental music, and dance. Living and working in Dublin, she is a recipient of the Arts Council Visual Art Bursary 2023. She has had recent performances at: IMMA, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Highlanes Gallery, MOLI, and the Douglas Hyde Gallery.

Stéphane Béna Hanly is a multidisciplinary artist working through sculpture, video, sound, and performance, often with the intention of combining them to produce dynamic multimedia events. Reproducing fragments extracted from fantastical scenarios with the aim of presenting them to an audience, Stéphane draws parallels with the contradictions in the world around us.

Amie Egan is an Irish designer, artist and maker based in Dublin. Working in both fashion and costume design, her creative practice incorporates various disciplines within design, craft and the visual arts.

Kathy Tynan is an artist based in Dublin, with a practice primarily based in paint. Her work is held in National collections including Trinity College Dublin and the Arts Council of Ireland. She is a lecturer at Technical University Dublin and is represented by Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin. Recent solo and two person exhibitions include Soft Fascination, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin (2022), Keep some steady friends around, Dunamaise Art Centre (2022), Two Painters, Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda (2020, Luminous Twitch), The Lab, Dublin (2019,) and Green Like Now, Kevin Kavanagh, Dublin 2019.

Seamas Hyland is a multi-instrumentalist, set dancer and singer with a penchant for the solo button accordion. He is based in Dublin and is currently preparing to release his debut album.

Méabh McKenna is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on the instrument of the harp in collaborative and solo performance, recording, and pedagogy. She regularly performs with pedal harp, voice, and electronics, and incorporates the Early Irish wire-strung harp and song collection research into her solo contemporary practice. Her work traverses a wide variety of genres, with longstanding collaborators including songwriters Maija Sofia, and Aoife Nessa Frances. She has performed internationally and inationally at venues including the National Concert Hall, Vicar Street, Cork Opera House, and at the RTÉ Irish Folk Awards and the RTÉ Choice Awards. She has taught workshops on Irish music at international harp festivals, performing in London, Paris, and Brazil, and played Irish festivals such as Electric Picnic, All Together Now, Another Love Story, Body and Soul, and Beyond the Pale.

Image: Voyage!, Isadora Epstein, ink on paper, 2023 with design by Stina Sanström. Courtesy of the artists.