IADT to project graduates’ films and art onto Dún Laoghaire’s LexIcon library

By Megan Burns
14th Jun 2021

Behind the scenes of “Cease”, directed by Aisling Sargent, cinematography by Cormac Campbell

IADT to project graduates’ films and art onto Dún Laoghaire’s LexIcon library

With the pandemic preventing normal graduate shows and exhibitions, a creative solution has been found to share the students’ work with the public.

For creative courses, students’ time at college typically culminates in a display of their final year’s work. Whether that is an exhibition, a screening, a performance, or show, it is a way for the students to have their work seen by the outside world, often for the first time.

However, the pandemic and its many restrictions have prevented these kind of events from happening, leading to some colleges taking a different approach. One such example is the Institute of Art Design + Technology (IADT) in Dún Laoghaire.

From June 25-26, a selection of work from the graduating classes of 2021 will be projected onto the walls of the LexIcon library in Dún Laoghaire, allowing the public to experience the work. The work will be from the students of Animation, Design + Visual Arts, Film + Media, Photography, and Technology and Psychology, so there will be a variety of mediums as well as styles.

IADT graduate show 2021 — ‘Fool’s Paradise’, Anna Lawlor, BA [Hons] Animation

IADT’s graduate show is usually the largest in the country, and attended by many, so this display helps to continue this showcasing of students’ work. The full graduate exhibition, ‘On Show 2021’ will be available online, allowing people to explore each piece of work in more depth.

The institution has a great reputation for producing graduates that go on to great things, with several of their graduates having received Oscar nominations including Kirsten Sheridan for In America and Robbie Ryan for his work on The Favourite. It was also named one of the world’s top film schools in 2020 by Variety.

Rónán Ó Muirthile, head of faculty, Film, Art and Creative Technologies at IADT, believes the students’ work this year is particularly interesting for the context in which it was created.

‘A Beautifully Damaged Society’, Amy Goldsmith, BA [Hons] Photography

“Very honestly, this year’s projects are exceptional. Creatives have a way of making sense of the world and when faced with the challenge of producing works within the challenges and restrictions of the pandemic they readily adapted and indeed excelled. Our students’ work this year is stunning and we encourage everyone to explore it online or enjoy the video projection experience at the dlr LexIcon.”

David Smith, the president of IADT, also points to this year’s work as something special. “2020 – a graduate class like no other. One bound together by their resilience, imagination and determination to see their work and ideas take centre-stage in the face of this unprecedented crisis.”