THE ECO SHOWBOAT EXPEDITION 2022

ARTISTS UNDERTAKE SOLAR POWERED EXPEDITION ON THE SHANNON TO SPARK CLIMATE ACTION THROUGH THE ARTS

The Eco Showboat Mayfly expedition is a four month arts voyage from Limerick to Enniskillen on the Mayfly, the flagship of the Eco Showboat project, and the first solar electric boat to make this journey.

On Sunday 15th May, the Mayfly will dock at Scarriff Harbour. You are invited to join us for this wonderful afternoon of art, workshops and talks.

14:30

AN CRANNOG CEOIL

Four years ago Paul Berg started working on ‘An Crannog Ceoil’ (The Musical Island) a four meter diameter raft fixed to a disused pontoon. The project involves working with air displacement by water pressure (in this case using the natural flow and rise of Lough Derg, where the raft is located) to play sound pipes (deconstructed harmoniums, bamboo and timber). For his collaboration with the Eco Showboat, Paul plans to construct a range of low sounding, free floating pipes that can be played on the island and on the harbour wall where the raft will be moored

15:00

PEOPLE AND WATER

Cormac McCarthy from Waterways Ireland will talk about how the organisation uses the shared heritage of the inland waterways as a tool for community engagement and awareness raising. How using the connection between people and the water can create new partnerships and innovative ways to protect and promote our heritage as well as tackling the biodiversity and climate crises.

15:30

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY IN THE GRAINEY VALLEY

Marina Levitina PhD, herbalist, nature educator, film-maker and artist, will talk about the Lough Grainey Nature Sanctuary project, dedicated to restoring an oak forest, rewilding and protecting biodiversity in the Lough Grainey Valley in County Clare.

5PM

SLOW LOOKING - Workshop with the Eco Showboat artists

Cleary and Connolly believe that learning begins with looking. Looking closely at things - for the purposes of observation and accurate documentation, or just for the simple pleasure of engaging your mind with the world - affords a deeper learning experience by fixing attention and setting up a remarkably complex and active investigation that begins with the eye and progressively engages the whole mind. The Slow Looking workshop invites you to use a range of simple viewing devices - bug boxes and magnifying glasses - to observe closely samples of biodiversity found on site, and to draw these using the materials provided, in a relaxed atmosphere conducive to conversation.

6PM

RIVER MOVIE - First Scenes

Screening

River Movie will record the first expedition of the Mayfly - a series of encounters with artists, activists and scientists as we travel upriver from Limerick to Enniskillen, discovering the beauty of the Shannon and the Erne waterways, exploring scientific and artistic ideas for how we can save this environment from everything that threatens it today - pollution, invasive and endangered species, climate change… Using a 4k drone, a 4k gimbal camera, an IR camera and other devices for macro-photography and sound recording, River Movie will document a unique collaboration of art and science addressing the great problem of our time.