Lucy McKenna’s exhibition in Cabra Library explores High Strangeness, ideas and stories at the edge of our understanding of the universe. The artist is particularly interested in the phenomenon of magical lights appearing in the Irish landscape, as documented by children from 1937 to 1939 in the National Folklore Collection, UCD.
The stories were collected by children from adults in their locality; some are first-hand witness accounts while others are stories passed along from others, spanning many generations.
The artist uses these stories as an entry point into thinking about magic, science, and our place in the universe. The stories’ beauty is in the descriptions of, the respect for, and the holding of belief in the otherworldly, as well as the role of children as the primary investigators, gatherers and passers-on of these phenomenal lived-experiences for the future generations of Ireland.
High Strangeness places today’s children in the position of children of the 1930s—giving them a doorway to think critically, to investigate the works using active ‘looking’ to draw their own conclusions.
Cabra Library evdeavours to be an accessible venue, it is wheelchair accessible with social stories and accessible public transport information as well as information about other accessibility tools available at: Cabra Library | Dublin City Council
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