Butler Gallery 4

Due to representing my caravan in the outdoor area of the Butler Gallery, people naturally come to my caravan regularly. To showcase my caravan, I have always talked to the audience face-to-face, one by one, as a part of my socially engaged art practice to develop this project further, understanding cultural differences between Ireland and the UK. Since I have never exhibited it for a duration of one month, I have begun to feel quite exhausted. 

As the director of the local animation studio, Light House Studios, Gilly visited my caravan and recommended me the other day. I visited another local animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, that had received an Oscar nomination. I bought two merchandise products to display in my caravan.

As I found out, Kilkenny is a really attractive town for my residency. I need to allocate time to look around. During my day off, I visited Kilkenny Castle, which housed the Butler Gallery until six years ago.

I attached a new solar panel on the roof, which is practical for the project to maintain the battery level even if I showcase my caravan every day, like I am doing now.

Butler Galley 3

Friday, 5th June: There was not so much of an audience. I had a nice chat with the director of Butler Gallery, Anna O’Sullivan.

I remember her; she came to our Flax Art Studios, Belfast, many years ago. She also came to my studio then. I’m quite impressed to hear she worked with one of the most well-known Japanese artists, Tadashi Kawamata, when she lived in New York.

Saturday, 6th June: There was the event of Cruinniú na nÓg in the Butler Gallery, and they were performing in the garden beside my caravan. The artists and audience of the event also came to see my caravan. I had chats with many people, like last Thursday.

Butler Gallery 2

Although yesterday, Thursday, was a weekday, I received many visitors unexpectedly due to the late night.

The animation director who lives nearby informed me about a local animation studio I should visit; she mentioned that they also sell merchandise products suitable for my caravan, as I currently do not have any animation figures in it. I’m so happy to get this new information I have never had before. I'm so excited to visit there when I get time off.

昨日、木曜日は平日だったにもかかわらず、夜遅くまで起きていたため、予想外にたくさんの人が訪れてくれました。

近所に住むアニメーション監督が、ぜひ訪れてみるべき地元のアニメーションスタジオを教えてくれました。私のキャンピングカーに飾るのにぴったりのグッズも販売しているとのことだったので、とても助かりました。今まで知らなかった新しい情報に、本当に嬉しく思っています。休みが取れたら、ぜひ訪れてみたいと思っています。

I also listened to an intriguing episode about British colonialism after a visitor, who had previously lived in Pakistan, noticed my British cricket bat in this caravan, which was marked "Made in Pakistan".

また、以前パキスタンに住んでいた訪問者が、私のキャラバンの中にあった「パキスタン製」と書かれたイギリス製のクリケットバットに気づいたことをきっかけに、イギリスの植民地主義に関する興味深いエピソードを聞く機会にも恵まれました。

One of the two boys made lovely drawings. He donated an Irish hurling bat for this project. It looks much better than the one I had before. He did not want his picture taken. I don’t have his picture.

2人の男の子のうち1人が、素敵な絵を描いてくれました。彼はこのプロジェクトのために、アイルランドのハーリングバットを寄贈してくれました。以前持っていたものよりもずっと良い品物です。彼の写真はありません。