Come on in! Open House Dublin rolls into town.

Buildings across the city are getting ready to put their welcome mats out this weekend, as they join in Ireland's biggest celebration of architecture, Open House Dublin 2010. Presented by the Irish Architecture Foundation, this free festival allows Dubliners to explore their city from a different angle, as buildings of all types and periods open up their doors completely for free!

Custom House by James Gandon

The theme for this year's festival, "Big, Small, Global", aims to adress the question of scale and proportion in architecture through a series of talks, film screenings, guided tours, walks and cycles around the city. It's an exciting and extremely interesting way of exploring your surroundings, giving you a behind the scenes look at a number of structures that usually aren't open to the public!

Grand Canal Theatre, by Daniel Libeskind

This year's programme of events include tours of the Custom House, the new Criminal Courts of Justice and the Grand Canal Theatre, as well as a number of lesser known buildings, such as Number 31, Lesson Close, the former home of architect Sam Stephenson. A host of domestic projects will also open their doors to visitors for the weekend, giving you an unmissable chance to admire an aspect of architecture we don't usually get to catch a glimpse of.

Number 31, Leeson Close. Former home of Sam Stephenson, the controversial architect responsible for the design of the Central Bank.

You can check out their full programme of events at www.architecturefoundation.ie/openhouse, so get your walking shoes on and start exploring!

Enjoy!

Louise Bourgeois, RIP

Extremely late but important none the less, Louise Bourgeois recently passed away at the age of 98.

A woman whose art inspired contemporary artist Tracey Emin and Irish fashion designer Simone Rocha, Bourgeois was regarded as a pioneering voice in 21st century confessional art and it is difficult to assess the role of contemporary French art without taking into account Bourgeois' intense and enveloping style of sculpture.

An artist that will undoubtedly be greatly missed.

Caravaggio's Bones Found

Art, pasta, astounding weather and rip-off prices aside, everyone knows what Italy is really famous for and that is seriously hot bad boys whizzing around on mopeds, cat-calling every pasty-faced Irish girl in sight - Because they somehow appreciate freckles and sunburn...

(I never said they were accountable bad boys.)

But where did this sexy attitude come from? Obviously I have no idea BUT, it is definitely nothing new: Pause and rewind to the 1600's and say hi to the biggest bad-boy Italy had to offer those days: Signiore Caravaggio.

An absolute enigma, Caravaggio rubbed shoulders with the highest echelons of the church, traded tips in taverns with friends and reinvigorated the Italian art-scene, creating a style never previously seen before. Caravaggio however was similarly known for his terrible temper, penchant for fighting and brawling and resultantly killing a man and going into exile.

Art history nerds alike will also be aware that Caravaggio went through periods where nothing was known about him - No one knew of his whereabouts, his comings and goings or what he was doing and eventually he died, unbeknownst to his patrons and remaining friends, his post-humous whereabouts never known... Until now, it seems.

Bits of Caravaggio – a leg bone whose fractured sections had to be taped together, a slice of jaw and a smooth, hollow skull were recently discovered in an unmarked grave in Tuscan. Archaeologists involved in this discovery were able to speculate that the 400 year puzzle surrounding the cause of death was sunstroke in 1610 as well as weakening caused by syphilis and madness brought on by lead-poisoning. Similarly, a red cloth was found in the grave - believed to have belonged to a cardinal in Rome, one of Signiore C's former-patrons. The combination of the rotting bones and plush cloth sums up Caravaggio's life pretty well - The extent of his fame and the prestige of his patronage teemed with his debaucherous and seedy life, it was agrave that projected ghosts of one of art's most mysterious men...

We're Vis Arts, who are you?

Ok, for those of you that are still a little uncertain as to who Vis Arts is and what Vis Arts does, Vis Arts would firstly like to say hello and personally introduce itself...

Vis Arts currently holds the title as TCD's BEST SMALL SOCIETY 2009/10! - An accolade that could never have been achieved were it not for last year's brilliant committee, their hard work and dedication as well as all the members of the society who brought so much interest, enthusiasm and talent to the table.

The reason we are (GENUINELY) THE BEST SMALL SOCIETY is because, despite our diminutive size, we offer a HUUUGE range of activities including gallery trips, talks and workshops with artists, curators and writers, the crème-de-la-crème of the current visual arts scene.

Vis arts also organises an AWESOME TRIP AWAY EVERY YEAR, usually after Christmas! Previous cultural capitals of art, fun and mayhem including BERLIN (!) and LONDON (!)

Furthermore, and possibly most important of all, last year, Vis Arts organised and ran a GALLERY EXHIBITION that showcased the hugely diverse and eclectic work of both staff and students from Trinity College! The Vis Arts committee and members ran the exhibition solely AND, for those whose work was shown, much of it was snapped up by the Trinity Art Collection, a huge body that owns works by some of the biggest names in Irish art, including Louis LeBrocquy and Jack B. Yeats!

However, for those that missed out on the excitement last year or are worried their social calendar would be incomplete without it THIS year, have no fear because Vis Arts is back once more and with a vengeance that will most definitely include A SECOND EXHIBITION! – I don’t know about you, but I’m already excited!

I hope this has offered a nice, little scope into who we are and what we do. AND if you are reading this then you (yes, you!) owe us a BIG HELLO at our stand in September, which, if me must admit it, has been feeling somewhat empty without you…. ;)

Love and paint, guuuurl!

Michelle

Introduction

Congratulations to the newly elected committee of the Visual Arts Society 2010/11!

In keeping with the enormous success of last year's committee, our aim is to promote the society more. This will enable many more students and staff of Trinity College Dublin (and indeed any others) to experience some of the fantastic events that we organise. This blog will hold all the information for these events and we will also post on subjects of interest.

If you have any questions, please email visarts@csc.tcd.ie

Ailbhe McNeela

Visual Arts Chairperson 2010/11