This week, Trinity Arts Festival (TAF) will once again be brightening up our gloomy February days with its vivid celebration of the arts in college. The hugely diverse programme ranges from arts and crafts workshops to dancing, cooking and a series of guest speakers. Speaking to The University Times, TAF director, Shannon Buckley Barnes, shared her idea of the TAF’s philosophy: “You can never do anything by half! We don’t just want to put on an event to tick a box … if we’re gonna do an event we want to go all the way with it.” With this in mind, their launch night in the Chapel yesterday evening was absolutely no exception.
Those who braved the bad weather were treated to an exceptional lineup of four up-and-coming Dublin-based acts. The chapel provided an ethereal setting for the performances, with its beautiful stuccoed walls dimly lit with pink hues, and the tall ceilings providing bellowing acoustics that carried the music through the room. The first act, Moogee, showcased some of Trinity’s own student talent. Their upbeat sound was a lively start to the evening, and their casual demeanor set the tone.
Moogee was followed by the comparably laid back Bad Sea, whose performance saw the beautiful vocals of lead singer, Ciara Thompson, accompanied by an eclectic mix of violins, guitars and drums. Moonlookson was the third act of the evening, a relatively new band who have seen considerable success over the last year with their reggae/folk sound. The fourth and final act of the evening was a performance by Farrah Elle, a graduate from BIMM, one of Dublin’s leading music schools, who ended the evening on a high. Although having grown up in Ireland, her alternative pop sound is infused with the influence of her Libyan heritage, creating a distinctive sound that has catapulted her onto the Dublin music scene over the past year. Her performance was significantly pared back in contrast to the earlier acts, with only herself and her two backup singers on the stage, the simplicity of which proved to be a pleasant contrast.
The laid back atmosphere made for an enjoyable evening for all and has set a high standard for the rest of the weeks events. Speaking to Buckley Barnes, she described the importance of student engagement in the arts and how TAF aims to encourage participation over the course of the festival, citing two key factors in this process: firstly, that all events are free, and secondly, that any workshops are held at beginner level. She also mentioned that in creating their events, TAF always try and generate an “immersive feel” to “get people really involved in the whole thing”. She also highlighted the importance of the submissions process in giving Trinity students a platform upon which to showcase their talents, a creative outlet that many might not have otherwise. She outlined that “it really is about people coming to an event and having a good time and engaging with the arts and enjoying themselves”. In the launch, at least, they lived up to their high standard.
