The Door Ajar screened as part of Dublin Contemporary, Ireland’s ambitious first largescale visual arts exhibition. This venture presented work by over 90 international and Irish artists at multiple locations in Dublin. In response to the theme Terrible Beauty—Art, Crisis, Change & The Office of Non-Compliance, the carefully selected presentation of work aims to investigate and reflect on emerging developments in contemporary art.
Presenting politically and socially motivated works from local, national and international figures, new and recent works were exhibited from artists, one of whom is Paddy Jolley.
Patrick Jolley, The Door Ajar was published to enhance a fictional persona for the Antonin Artaud and his expedition to Ireland in 1937, which resulted in his arrest, repatriation and internment on his return to France. The exhibition ran through the end of October 2011.
On August 14th 1937 the French poet and theatre director, Antonin Artaud, arrived in Cobh in County Cork, bringing with him a stick which he believed St. Patrick owned. His intention was to return the staff to its rightful owners and, with their help, to rediscover some fundamental truths.
His journey didn’t turn out exactly as planned and, on September 23rd, he was arrested while trying to gain entrance to a religious house on the outskirts of Dublin. Other than these facts, little record remains of his journey, except for a scant outline of his movements provided by two unpaid bills and some postcards sent from Galway.
The Door Ajar examines Artaud’s back-catalogue of poems, letters and essays and uses them to create a possible account of the weeks he spent travelling in Ireland, revealing a fascinating portrait of a man hell-bent on a search for truth and driven by a longing to penetrate to the very core of existence.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
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