C Both Sides
Encyclopedia
C Both Sides is a collective art project that started in 2006 by artists Teresa Doyle and Edel O Reilly Flynn in association with Westmeath County Council
. The project consisted of people being invited to send postcards from all over Ireland to Doyle and O Reilly Flynn's addresses which were then later displayed in Mullingar Arts Centre in 2007. Knowledge of the project spread through word of mouth, internet postings and press releases in local papers. Over 500 cards were received. One of the main reasons for creating such a project was to revive and reawaken the art of handwriting, in an environment that has become dominated by high speed forms of communication such as email and text messaging. It was also a means of giving people an opportunity to express themselves through this visual and written medium. It was designed to be a project that was accessible to all. Teresa Doyle felt that handwriting was a dying art form, and through this project herself and Edel O Reilly Flynn strived to reawaken it. This small exhibition then travelled to New York, which encouraged a more international group of participants. The project was intended to create a social document of Ireland at the time.
Following the success of the C Both Sides project, An Post
decided to sponsor the project, which allowed it to reach a wider audience on a national and to an extent an international audience. The launch of An Post
C Both Sides, a 12 month project, took place in November 2007 at the Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. It was launched by the Chief Executive of An Post
, Donal Connell, who spoke of the lost art of postcards. Teresa Doyle also made a moving speech about the beginning of Ireland’s largest collaborative art exhibition. Craig Doyle
, an Irish television personality was on hand to launch the project too.
’s sponsorship, the project was rolled out. Each household in Ireland received a blank postcard. The participants were encouraged to consider “both sides” of the postcard. This highlighted the importance of the recipient and the message as well
as the visual aspects of the postcard. In total over 3,000 submissions were received from throughout the world, of which 250 were chosen, by a panel, to be displayed. Helen Carey was the curator of the exhibition.
opened the exhibition. He too participated in the project as he sent postcard from his travels to Spain and Peru.
The postcards were displayed in pigeonholes that used to integral to the sorting of post before the new mechanised sorting machines. The use of the pigeonholes allowed for the viewer of the exhibition to view “both sides” of the postcard. The pigeonholes were fitted with clear Perspex frames, which were mounted on a rotating spindle. This allowed the viewer to see “both sides” of the postcard, and thus creating an interactive element to the exhibition. This innovative way of displaying the postcards was designed by Fiona Coffey.
Dublin Civic Offices 30 March - 9 April 2009
Siamsa Tíre, Tralee 20 April - 2 May 2009
The Linnenhall, Castlebar 2-13 June 2009
Galway Museum 22 June - 4 July
and finally returning home to the Mullingar Arts Centre, Westmeath 15 July - 1 August.
Westmeath County Council
Westmeath County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Westmeath in Ireland. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The head of the council has the title of...
. The project consisted of people being invited to send postcards from all over Ireland to Doyle and O Reilly Flynn's addresses which were then later displayed in Mullingar Arts Centre in 2007. Knowledge of the project spread through word of mouth, internet postings and press releases in local papers. Over 500 cards were received. One of the main reasons for creating such a project was to revive and reawaken the art of handwriting, in an environment that has become dominated by high speed forms of communication such as email and text messaging. It was also a means of giving people an opportunity to express themselves through this visual and written medium. It was designed to be a project that was accessible to all. Teresa Doyle felt that handwriting was a dying art form, and through this project herself and Edel O Reilly Flynn strived to reawaken it. This small exhibition then travelled to New York, which encouraged a more international group of participants. The project was intended to create a social document of Ireland at the time.
Following the success of the C Both Sides project, An Post
An Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
decided to sponsor the project, which allowed it to reach a wider audience on a national and to an extent an international audience. The launch of An Post
An Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
C Both Sides, a 12 month project, took place in November 2007 at the Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. It was launched by the Chief Executive of An Post
An Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
, Donal Connell, who spoke of the lost art of postcards. Teresa Doyle also made a moving speech about the beginning of Ireland’s largest collaborative art exhibition. Craig Doyle
Craig Doyle
Craig Doyle is an Irish television and radio presenter. To British viewers he is recognisable as working for the BBC and ITV...
, an Irish television personality was on hand to launch the project too.
Workshops
Each month had a different theme, which guided the participants when creating a postcard. During the year Teresa Doyle and Edel O Reilly Flynn, with the help of Ursula Meehan held workshops based on the theme of the month. In July, for example, the theme was prisoners. The artists held a workshop in Limerick Prison with some of the inmates. The theme for August was migration and keeping with this a workshop was held in Ilac Centre City Library, with a group of migrants. Postcards were an ideal medium as the people who have moved to Ireland have would use post as a way of communicating with their families in their home country. Similar workshops were held throughout the country for other themes. From the monthly entrants, twelve were chosen and displayed on the C Both Sides website. Each month there was a celebrity invited to make a postcard, which was also featured on the website along with a short interview based on the topic of postcards.| Month | Theme |
|---|---|
| January | Family Members |
| February | Sports People |
| March | Health, Well Being and Caring |
| April | Travellers |
| May | Older People |
| June | Business People/Unemployed People |
| July | Prisoners |
| August | Migrants |
| September | Politicians |
| October | Education and Learning |
| November | The Farming Community |
| December | Artists/Individuals |
National Project
With An PostAn Post
An Post is the State-owned provider of postal services in the Republic of Ireland. An Post provides a universal postal service to all parts of the country as a member of the Universal Postal Union...
’s sponsorship, the project was rolled out. Each household in Ireland received a blank postcard. The participants were encouraged to consider “both sides” of the postcard. This highlighted the importance of the recipient and the message as well
as the visual aspects of the postcard. In total over 3,000 submissions were received from throughout the world, of which 250 were chosen, by a panel, to be displayed. Helen Carey was the curator of the exhibition.
Exhibition
The final culmination of a year’s hard work was the opening of the exhibition in the Dublin Civic Offices, on Wood Quay. Noted travel writer and broadcaster, Manchán MaganManchán Magan
Manchán Magan is a writer, traveller and television maker. He has made over 30 travel documentaries focusing on issues of world cultures and globalization, 12 of them packaged under the Global Nomad series with his brother Ruán Magan. He presented No Béarla, a documentary series about traveling...
opened the exhibition. He too participated in the project as he sent postcard from his travels to Spain and Peru.
The postcards were displayed in pigeonholes that used to integral to the sorting of post before the new mechanised sorting machines. The use of the pigeonholes allowed for the viewer of the exhibition to view “both sides” of the postcard. The pigeonholes were fitted with clear Perspex frames, which were mounted on a rotating spindle. This allowed the viewer to see “both sides” of the postcard, and thus creating an interactive element to the exhibition. This innovative way of displaying the postcards was designed by Fiona Coffey.
Touring
The exhibition in 2009, toured throughout Ireland, visiting:Dublin Civic Offices 30 March - 9 April 2009
Siamsa Tíre, Tralee 20 April - 2 May 2009
The Linnenhall, Castlebar 2-13 June 2009
Galway Museum 22 June - 4 July
and finally returning home to the Mullingar Arts Centre, Westmeath 15 July - 1 August.
External links
- http://www.anpostcbothsides.ie/
- http://www.hoganstand.com/Westmeath/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=89662
- http://www.westmeathcoco.ie/en/media/MidlandsArtsandCultureissue5pdf1.pdf
- http://www.irishclub.org/IHCNEWS-071110.htm
- http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2008/06/15/story33604.asp
- http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/News+and+Information/AnPostCBothSides.htm
- http://www.thelinenhall.com/coming-up/exhibitions.php?a=1
- http://epoch-archive.com/a1/en/ie/nnn/2007/11-Nov/15/ET141107009.pdf
- http://events.artscouncil.ie/functions/popup.php?ev=2454985&readFile=0&readSQL=1&showCat=&oc=1
- http://2008.culturenight.ie/detail.asp?ID=140
- http://www.independent.ie/national-news/keano-gets-carded-in-an-post-exhibition-1691978.html
- http://www.anpostcbothsides.ie/index.php?item_id=1165