In Conversation: Joe Caslin and Leah Kenny
Friday, 2 August 2019, 12 – 1pm 
This "In Conversation" event is part of the Public Program of the Samuel Beckett Summer School. It brings together the artist Joe Caslin with the recent Trinity graduate Leah Kenny.
In 2019, Kenny wrote her dissertation: ‘“There’s man all over for you”: representations of women in Samuel Beckett’s biographies and work.’ With her dissertation in her arms, she featured in the large-scale artwork created by Caslin and installed in college’s front square in May 2019. Caslin gave this artwork the title “The Youth Need To See Their Greatness Reflected In Our Eyes."
This event will feature reflections by Caslin on the relationship between his art practice, activism and teaching, and by Kenny on her distinctive engagement with Beckett before and during her time at Trinity. The conversation will be moderated by Julie Bates.
Joe Caslin is an Irish street artist, art teacher and activist. Best known for his beautifully rendered pencil drawings, which manifest as towering pieces of street art, his highly accessible work engages directly with the social issues of modern Ireland. Caslin confronts the subjects of suicide, drug addiction, economic marginalisation, marriage equality, stigma in mental health, the Irish asylum seeker system, institutional power, and most recently, sexual consent. The monochrome drawings Caslin creates live with us for some time before washing away. They hold a mirror up to the kind of society that we are and encourage debate about what kind of society we want to become. During the 2015 marriage equality campaign, Caslin’s artwork ‘The Claddagh Embrace’ was installed on South Great George’s Street. In 2017, he created the artwork ‘The Volunteers’ for Trinity’s Front Square. In 2019, Caslin returned to Trinity with the drawing ‘The Youth Need To See Their Greatness Reflected In Our Eyes’, which featured Beckett and Leah Kenny, either side of the Campanile.
Leah Kenny has just completed an undergraduate degree in English Studies at Trinity College Dublin, and will graduate in November. She will further her studies with a Masters in Human Resources Management beginning this September. Leah wrote her final year dissertation with Julie Bates as her supervisor. It was titled “‘There’s man all over for you’; Representations of women in Samuel Beckett’s life and work.” She believes Beckett’s worth should and can be more accessible to a wider audience and is interested in exploring the lives of the women who surrounded and aided Beckett throughout his life. Leah immensely enjoyed working with Joe Caslin as it allowed her to discuss Beckett with someone without any prior assumptions about his work.
Image: "The Youth Need To See Their Greatness Reflected In Our Eyes," by Joe Caslin. Photo © Nicholas Johnson.
Tickets are free, but advance booking is advised. If you wish to make a contribution to future Beckett Summer School activities, please select "donation" on the ticketing options; 100% of all proceeds from donations go to the tenth anniversary Summer School (2020) public programme.
The full public program of the Samuel Beckett Summer School is available to view here.
Campus Location: Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute
Accessibility: Yes
Room: Neill Lecture Theatre
Research Theme: Creative Arts Practice
Event Category: Public
Type of Event: One-time event
Audience: Public
Cost: Free, register here: bit.ly…
More info: bit.ly…
