Free Tullamore screening and discussion of Irish artist's film on dementia care
Offaly audiences will have a rare opportunity to experience a film piece held in the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) National Collection and engage in discussion around dementia care and Ireland’s new capacity legislation this month.
The provocative and moving artwork, 'Yes, But Do You Care?' by acclaimed multidisciplinary visual artist Marie Brett will be screened at Esker Arts in Tullamore this coming Friday, October 17, from 2.30pm to 3.30pm
It's being shown as part of the Anam Beo Retrospective showcase which began on October 4 and continues until November 1.
The free-to-attend public engagement screening and discussion event takes place as part of a day-long symposium bringing together artists, communities, advocates, and arts and health organisations for open discussions exploring the future of arts and health.
The Tullamore screening of Brett’s acclaimed film forms part of a wider national tour of the artist’s work designed to spark vital conversations about care, capacity, humanity, and legislation in Ireland today.
'Yes, But Do You Care?' is described as a compelling and ambitious audio-visual artwork that reimagines family caregiving, the ethics of autonomy, and the implications of Ireland’s new capacity legislation.
Featuring real-life stories, it explores the human right to make a 'bad' decision and the complex emotional terrain of caregiving.
The filmic artwork, now held in the National Collection at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), offers a rich visual and sound collage.
Imagery includes surreal and tender scenes: a muscle-man bravado in a kitchen, a man spinning wildly in tall grass and dancing under high-rise flats. The soundtrack mixes tango and waltz rhythms with powerful real-life audio testimonies and legal language, creating a haunting yet humanising experience.
Created by Marie Brett in collaboration with renowned choreographer and dancer, Philip Connaughton, members of the Dementia Carers Campaign Network (supported by The Alzheimer Society of Ireland), and advisors in law, advocacy, and human rights, the piece fuses art with real-life experience.
Friday's afternoon screening includes a discussion and Q&A session with guest speakers including Sean Walsh (Esker Arts Artistic Director), Sundara O’Higgins (IMMA Curator), and the artist herself from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.
Speaking about the project, Marie Brett said: "It's a privilege to get to make artwork responding to such personal and life-changing individual experiences. The family carers I worked with were so stellar in their bravery, and I'll never forget them describing a silent scream while I was researching Ireland’s new capacity legislation and how it would affect family carers.
"The challenge then for an artist is to honour the truth of those stories and reimagine a creative piece that's both artistically ambitious and ethically sound. It's fantastic that the art piece is now in IMMA’s collection for generations to come, and I'm really looking forward to meeting visitors and sharing some behind-the-scenes stories at the screening events."
Tickets to attend the public screening and discussion event on October 17 are free to book via eskerarts.ie.