COMING FULL CIRCLE

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In 1975 world-renowned artist Richard Long created one of his infamous circles in the Burren, Co. Clare – A Stone Circle in Ireland. Over the years, people have added to and taken from the creation an innate response to it. As part of Galway 2020, Clare Arts Office revisited the visual language of the Stone Circle set in the magnificent limestone landscape.

Exploring the Galway 2020 themes of Language and Landscape, the Arts Office invited the Burren College of Art to join them in this exploration. The students, led by artistic director and producer Áine Phillips, created their performance art piece in the landscape, inspired by the original brief and the original vision of Richard Long. The project was initially conceived as a community project, whereby people would join with the college students and reinstate the circle in a communal and traditional Meitheal. This collective action was envisaged as a way for people to connect with the landscape in a restorative act that might enhance creative connections. The project was reframed in line with COVID-19 restrictions.

“We were delighted to commission Burren College of Art, a contemporary art college in the heart of the Burren, to revisit A Stone Circle in Ireland. Coming Full Circle reflects this, a beautifully shot piece of film that is creative, quietly powerful and utterly reflective of the creative essence of the Burren. The involvement of Richard Long in the project added another layer of depth to the project, which had to be constantly adapted and revisited due to the times we live in,” according to Siobhán Mulcahy, County Arts Officer.

Clare County Council and Creative Ireland support it. Filmed on location at Doolin Point, The Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, Ireland, Supported by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture, Clare County Council, Creative Ireland and Burren College of Art.

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