Notions

Yesterday evening I went to the opening of a special art exhibition / event just off Douglas St. in Cork. It's called Notions and it's the work of my good friend, Lauren Baylor. It's so beautiful! It's only open for 3 days and it's in a garden in a convent in the middle of the city, a really serene location. It's based on a story that Lauren has written, the story is so lovely. It's autobiographical, but in Lauren's inimitable fantastical way. I'll ask her if I can reproduce some of it here on the blog.

Here are some pics of the exhibition taken yesterday evening. It's open until tomorrow so i'd recommend popping in. She's selling some really beautiful photographs connected to the work which I hope she'll show on her own blog soon.

UPDATE

I spoke to Lauren today and she gave permission to reproduce some of the (beautiful) story on the blog. Here it is:

Part of it became alive by these characters
whose liveliness could spark up a room
and animate the night
Fiery, warm and fun

Then there was the other part, the art?
The quieter one that was dark
and the sorrow wanted to dominate

...

Have you ever met someone and felt like you knew them before?
They have these powers, you see
They share and can feel what you feel
like sweets...mmm!
or a cut knee

...

She loves to question and inquire
(and hoard up all the answers)
She also loves to journey
With arms outstretched she dances

Also she is usually mostly starving

WOW, it's all so good. These few paragraphs really aren't doing it justice. I'll leave you with this one last bit...

The heat turns,
It bubbles, boils and in a ball-shape it burns
The speed
it travels
Its insides push to the out in a constant race, self-propelling its journey

Is it getting faster?
Could it even get hotter?
The atmosphere, the darkness, the silence have broken
A freak spell like, terror, crackling the air, it fights against itself

Its direction is erratic
Its energy majestic
The space it finds itself in has transformed in so brief a moment
But its impact will last

like the first time you click with someone...time has no meaning any longer,
that familiarity of friendship withstands time

This invasion is fiery, quick
but it leaves a warmth, like the memory of and unexpected embrace.