Culture Night 2010 at Trinity College Promises Adventure and Discovery

Sep 23, 2010

Trinity College Dublin will lend artistic, historical and scientific elements to Culture Night 2010 when it opens its doors, free of charge, to the public on Friday 24th September next.  Taking part will be Trinity College’s Old Library and Book of Kells Exhibition, the newly launched Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity Arts Workshop, the Science Gallery and the Douglas Hyde Gallery.  Since its establishment in 2005 Culture Night offers a night of adventure, entertainment and discovery for friends and family as towns and cities across the country encourage the public to explore and engage with the artistic and culture heritage of our nation.

A walk through Front Square’s cobbles situated in the heart of Dublin city will lead visitors to the Old Library building.  Inside, the Book of Kells is the centrepiece of the exhibition, Turning Darkness into Light.  Written around the year 800 AD, it is one of the most beautiful illuminated manuscripts in the world made up of a richly decorated copy of the four gospels.  Abstract decoration and images of plant, animal and human ornament punctuate the text, their symbolism portraying religious messages for the worshippers of the time.  On view will be two volumes, one opened to display a major decorated page, and one to show two pages of script.

Proceed upstairs to the Long Room which houses over 200,000 of the College’s oldest books.  Stretching nearly 65 metres in length the Long Room boasts a collection of marble busts, the earliest of which dates to 1743, depicting the great philosophers and writers of the western world as well as Ireland’s oldest harp.  A series of literary readings featuring Chris Binchy, Iggy McGovern and Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin to name but a few will take place between 7pm to 9pm in the Old Library.  The Long Room and Book of Kells exhibitions will open for Culture Night at 5pm and close to the public at 10pm.  To celebrate the Library Shop will offer a 10% discount on the evening on all products.

Situated across the square is the new state-of-the-art building, the Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity College’s arts and humanities research institute.  This four story signature building will be a showcase of the broad spectrum of research from the world of arts and humanities at Trinity College.  The Trinity Long Room Hub currently facilitates cross-cutting research initiatives in digital humanities, environmental humanities, medical humanities, South Asian studies and a research programme on creativity, the city and the university.  Its doors will be open from 5pm to 10pm and visitors are invited to explore, investigate and admire.

Just a short distance away is the Douglas Hyde Gallery where an exhibition, Holding Together, celebrating the 50 years of TCD’s modern art collection and the achievements of its founder George Dawson, is on view.  The collection features 20th century Irish art from the College’s collections alongside emerging contemporary Irish artists.  The exhibition is open from 5pm to 10pm on the evening.

Towards the East end of campus the Science Gallery’s latest exhibition, Biorhythm: Music and the Body, will offer an interactive bonanza of diverse sonic experiences, from a sonic bed to a musical table and experiments on your emotional response to music.  Open until 11pm, entertainments will include trad sessions and literary readings, which will take place in Gallery 2 between 7pm and 8pm.

Located at 191 Pearse Street, the Trinity Arts Workshop will host an exhibition that takes a historical look at the workshop which was founded in 1960.  During the years the workshop became a meeting place for musicians, poets and artists and helped to introduce life drawing and ceramics classes to the public led by prominent artists such as Michael Farrell, Brian Bourke, John Behan and Jim Galligan.  On display will be art works such as puppets, clay models, stone sculptures, pottery and jewellery, all of which have a role played by the workshop in the past.  The workshop will be open from 5pm to 10pm.

Culture Night is an initiative led by Temple Bar Cultural Trust in association with the Council of National Cultural Institutions and supported by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.  Since its establishment in 2006, year-on-year the amount of cultural offerings has steadily increased allowing people of all ages and interests an opportunity to engage with the history and culture of the nation.