A major highlight on the college calendar each year is the infamous Trinity Arts Festival (TAF). It typically consists of herds of creative souls (and curious newbies) dancing, art-making and enjoying a festival-like atmosphere across campus. This year, every society questioned its ability to maintain engagement levels under the thumb of coronavirus restrictions. But for TAF, the show most certainly went on – and it was an undeniable triumph.
Speaking with The University Times, Festival Director Roisin Gowen explained how the realisation that the festival would have to be held online was a “hard pill to swallow”, citing the “back and forth” of restrictions as a source of frustration. However, Gowen and her team soon found a silver lining.
“Having things online actually opened up so many new opportunities for us, and allowed us to invite speakers from all across the world for our ‘TAF Talks’ series”, Gowen elaborated. “I think a hybrid of online and in-person events is the way to go for the future.”
This year’s ‘TAF Talks’ featured a star-studded lineup of speakers from various creative industries. Gowen’s personal favourite of the week, Mary Harron, delivered a fascinating talk, detailing her journey as a music writer in the 1980s early punk scene to her work as an award-winning screenwriter and director. Harron is best known for American Psycho (2000) and The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). Tales of Harron’s experience on film juries, working with writers in adapting books to screen, as well as experiences on set offered attendees a glimpse of the life of a successful filmmaker. To the aspiring artists amid the audience, she emphasised the importance of authenticity in the creative process.
Gowen described TAF as a “diverse” society that “bring[s] together so many different people”. Last Friday, TAF collaborated with DU History to host Judith Finlay, co-founder of Queer Culture Ireland and custodian of the Irish AIDS quilt, as well as employee of the National Gallery of Ireland. Finlay discussed the heartbreaking history of the 1980s AIDS epidemic and the Irish AIDS quilt, a community-made quilt honouring the names of victims of the disease. Attendees were informed about the role of quilt-making in memorialisation, a tradition that is thought to have begun in the United States by enslaved African-Americans. The Irish AIDS quilt remains on display in Temple Bar until April.
While the week was an immense personal triumph for the committee, the numbers similarly spoke to its success. A record number of 88 volunteers helped orchestrate the festival – 88% of whom had never volunteered with the society before. “Turns out people were gagging for something non-college related”, Gowen outlined, adding: “Some of our events had up to 100 people, which we were so thrilled by.”
One of the most talked-about events of the week was last Thursday night’s Murder Mystery in collaboration with DU Players. Paris Hilton, Bernie Sanders and Buffy the Vampire Slayer were but a few of the figures placed on a Zoom together, as we revelled in watching the chaos unfold. Lindsay Lohan was the victim this time, while attendees had the opportunity to jump between different breakout rooms to interrogate the colourful suspects (the Zoom update is changing lives in so many ways). There were several clues revealed throughout the night and at the end, attendees messaged a scantily clad “Ghost of Hugh Hefner” with their suspicions. The memorable event concluded with drinks into the wee hours.
Final-year drama student Imogen Redpath, a seasoned member of Trinity’s only improvised comedy troupe, Improv She Wrote (ISW), held a TAF workshop on the art form. ISW are renowned for their crowd-pleasing, entirely improvised shows. Due to the physical nature of their art form it was understandably difficult to transfer it to the online platform – however, they didn’t disappoint. The workshop was an afternoon of improvisation games, learning the cardinal rules of improv, and some poorly constructed acting scenes by us amateurs. The ISW team currently hosts weekly workshops and are hoping to organise a display of their work at the end of the year.
Speaking with The University Times, TAF secretary Anna Yague expressed her delight at the persistence of young artists this year: “Our engagement, attendance at the events and response in general has been so positive. It’s actually inspiring that people haven’t just given up on this year – people still want to participate, and artists and musicians are still creating. It’s been a really happy and necessary reminder of the level of talent among us.”
On Wednesday evening of last week, Enda Bowe, an esteemed photographer whose work has been exhibited in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, New York’s Red Hook Gallery, and Dublin’s Douglas Hyde Gallery, spoke about how he got into photography as a “70s kid”, when a career as a photographer appeared to be “only for the very privileged”. Bowe advised young photographers to “trust your voice” and “try to express yourself as a writer does – that’s how you’ll be different in your work”.
His project Love’s Fire Song, for which he photographed young people from both Catholic and Protestant communities in Northern Ireland, was inspired by the ongoing Troubles. He used photography to “focus on what connects us all – hope, joy”. He reminisced on his time working on the television series Normal People, emphasising that the “feelings and sensitivity” of the characters were what guided him. His work can be found at endabowe.com.
Another successful event held by TAF was a virtual panel discussion featuring three emerging Irish designers. The designers were NCAD graduates Twiggy Moore and John Mangru, as well as Rachel Maguire, a final-year student at the Grafton Academy. The panelists spoke on a range of topics, sharing everything from the genesis of their love for fashion and what inspires them, to the grave issue of sustainability in the fashion industry.
They also spoke on the role of social media in design: “I use my Instagram as an online portfolio”, explained Moore. You can find her graduate collection All Fur, No Knickers on her Instagram page. Maguire, who is known on social media for her signature furry hats, spoke on the inspiration she draws from the Japanese concept Wabi Sabi. Mangru, who has recently set up a website to sell his handmade corsets, encouraged viewers to “just buy what you need” and to “learn how to hand sew” in the interest of sustainability. You can find the three designers on Instagram at @rashhiiid, @twiggymoore_ and @johnmangru.
The week as a whole was a fun and fascinating artistic education. If you missed any of it, you can excitedly anticipate the wonders that the Trinity Arts Festival team will produce when the weight of restrictions is lifted once again.
