A small performance programme
On 5 May 2026 by Deej_Fabyc1On Sunday, five artists in residence put together a programme of four performances in and around Live Art Ireland, with assistant facilitator @joannaryanpurcell.
Eleni Kolliopoulou and Stratos Papadoudis performed Quiet Hours in the Blue Room. This performance commented on the death of democracy. Through the absurdity of Beckett, the piercing images of war machinery, and the performers’ surrender into mourning over the loss of what our world once was, they left the audience emotional, contemplative, and considering their own walk into mourning our world.
Sandra Zanetti held an empty Victorian photo album while breathing into each empty page. Was she trying to resurrect lost ancestors, or was she trying to find the ancestors she never learned about? Sandra performed this beautifully moving piece in the Red Room.
Volodymyr Topiy struck us with his satirical humour, confessing that he loves the past dictators of countries that inevitably impacted his own country of Ukraine – bringing the audience from two grief-stricken performances into a piece where they couldn’t help but laugh. How do we deal with the world? Grieving? Dark humour? Volodymyr’s performance took place in the conservatory.
Josh Philpott brought us on a mysterious journey through the 17 acres of Live Art Ireland, convincing us that the performance would start at the next location, before we later realised it was all reflecting his experience of the in-between – leaving the audience with no destination, each of us either anxious about where we were going, or surrendered to the journey.
The performances flowed seamlessly from one to the other, interweaving through the rooms and the grounds of Live Art Ireland.
Thank you to all the audience members who came, supported the artists and provided feedback at the end.
Photos by Stratos Papadoudis and Joanna Ryan-Purcell
@sandrazanetti_@_joshphilpott_@ikonyprodaz@deej_fabyc_art
Eleni Kolliopoulou Stratos Papadoudis
