Zeitgeist Irland 24 commemorative book
The Zeitgeist Irland 24 commemorative book is published by The Embassy of Ireland in Germany and Culture Ireland.
It captures the creative spirit, collaborative energy and interdisciplinary approach that characterised the Zeitgeist Irland 24 initiative – a programme that took place throughout 2024, presenting the work of over 500 Irish artists in 176 towns and cities across Germany.
As well as showcasing events, the book features a rich, varied and carefully considered selection of artworks that were presented in the Zeitgeist Irland 24 programme, complemented by brief, commissioned texts and artist quotes and sketches, allowing glimpses into the underpinning artistic drives and processes.
Here is an extract from the book, illustrated with sample pages.
Creating a cultural moment
There are intrinsic and extrinsic forces that pull artists to a place and, like the elements, shape the cultural landscape.
We all influence and are influenced by our atmosphere, like droplets collecting to flow to rivers that carve out a topography, like musical notes to conjure a motif, or like words conjoining to create meaning.
People come together to form communities and create a cultural moment.
Creating a cultural moment
There are intrinsic and extrinsic forces that pull artists to a place and, like the elements, shape the cultural landscape.
We all influence and are influenced by our atmosphere, like droplets collecting to flow to rivers that carve out a topography, like musical notes to conjure a motif, or like words conjoining to create meaning.
People come together to form communities and create a cultural moment.
Irish heritage as the bedrock
The Zeitgeist Irland 24 programme maps this shared and unique identity through artistic expression and discourse that captures movements and poses critical questions.
As the cultural landscape evolves rapidly, it is a snapshot of this era. In the programme are formations and confluences – the influence of Ireland’s creative diaspora in Germany, as well as the relationships within prominent art forms, groups and collectives, and between institutions – with common vision and shared values, as well as differing perspectives given voice in a spirit of open dialogue.
As we explore deeper into the programme, Ireland’s distinct, centuries-old heritage in language, music and literature is the bedrock.
Capturing the collective spirit
Only touching upon the immense artistic talent to be found among the small population of Ireland, this volume aims to reflect the richness and diversity of the Zeitgeist Irland 24 programme.
Moreover, it aspires to capture the collective spirit of the time through some of the art found in the programme, and to provide glimpses into the artistic process.
Through these pages we peer down through the strata.
Reoccurring themes
Through the vast range of artforms and voices, some themes reoccur. Here, artists dig into the subject of cultural identity with a variety of approaches that reflect its complexity and ephemerality, from Sarah Pierce’s Scene of the Myth to Jennifer Walshe’s Ireland: A Dataset.
Geographies, both literal and figurative, inspire the work of artists Ann Cleare, Luke McManus, and Francis Heery. The themes of architecture and community are represented by the work of Lyónn Wolf and plattenbaustudio.
Driving forces and creative inspirations are the subject of Neil Hoare’s series of interviews with, and photographic portraits of, some of Ireland’s creative diaspora in Germany.
Ireland has formed some of the world’s most influential artists and the next generation is now crystallising.
The cross-disciplinary resonance of the legacy of Samuel Beckett – one of the most respected Irish artists and on whom Germany exerted a formative effect – is celebrated with a substantial number of projects influenced by, and dealing with, his work, including a specially commissioned film by Declan Clarke.
