~ non-events ~ energy ~ lab ~ is a presentation of five site-oriented research projects by Aine Farrelly, Ellen Duffy, Emma Griffin, Lucy Tevlin & Rachael Melvin.
Non-Events is an independent curatorial project developed and facilitated by Kate Murphy to test, re-visit, play with, interrupt and contemplate ‘site’ over an eight month period. Regular online discussions encouraged exchange and created a shared working space for crossovers and collaboration. Non-Events was a continued exchange of energy between curator and participating artists; interacting with each other and the sites in a way that reflects Alexander Dorner’s idea of the museum as an ‘energy plant’.
Lucy Tevlin chose Harold’s Cross Park in Dublin as her site for Non-Events. Her process initially began with research into the history of the site. The park was designed by Mr William Sheppard, the eminent landscape gardener of the time, who is also credited with the design of St. Stephen's Green and Palmerston Park. Assisted by his son, the park was completed in two months. It officially opened on 1st May 1894. The park sits in an unusual V shape with roads on each side. After the contextualisation of the site, a thorough examination began. Lucy photographed each nook and cranny that interested her - children's drawings on the ground, architectural forms, plants and trees, any form of text or mark making, all at different times of day. After several site visits consisting of observation and documentation, Lucy drew her attention to park signs describing some of the history of the site. Playing around with the historical context of the signs, she digitally manipulated some of the images before using the text present on the signs as a source material for a text work. These text pieces were then shown in the park on the 1st of May 2021 as a commemoration of the induction of this space as a public park. Amongst the text Lucy left three large sticks of chalk with a sign reading ‘Draw with me!’ and several small plants with signs saying ‘Take me home with you!’. She returned a few hours later to find all the plants had disappeared and the ground covered in chalk drawings.