Thursday, April 16, 2015

Steampunk'd : exhibition of student works

This exhibition is based on course work byMasters and PhD students in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at the University of Limerick. Since 2010, in the course Contemporary Art in the Public Realm, students have worked in a dialogue with the Hunt Museum in Limerick City, using the Hunt Collection as inspiration for creating contemporary interpretations that can be juxtaposed with the original artefacts. This year’s theme is Steampunk, an art form (or cult) with its origins in literature as a subculture to genres such as fantasy and science fiction. Steampunk, in the physical form of various artefacts, often has an expectation that it relies on Victorian-style steam- or spring-powered technology. The materials used for creating the artefacts in this exhibition are mainly recycled. This year’s students had the opportunity to be coached into becoming creative makers by the eminent blacksmith and coppersmith Mark Wilson from Mountshannon, Co. Clare.
The exhibition is on display in the Bourn Vincent Gallery at the University of Limerick until the 23rd of April 2015. Admission is free.