Project celebrating island life launched on Inis Meáin

An Irish exhibition which featured at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale has been launched on Inis Meáin ahead of a nationwide tour.

The installation is called ‘In Search of Hy-Brasil’ and shows how rural islands have been leading the way in sustainable living throughout centuries of harsh conditions.

Fresh from the world’s most prestigious platform for architecture, this was Ireland’s representation in Venice.

The event is a celebration of Inis Meáin and the collective resourcefulness and ingenuity of island communities as depicted in the installation.

The exhibition placed three island communities at the centre of international discourse surrounding our shared future and the re-imagining of the world we inhabit.

Inis Meáin was represented through a specially commissioned black and white film, showing local materials which were used to highlight the traditional heritage of the island.

A wool model made from native Galway sheep was shaped to represent the UNESCO World Heritage site, Sceilg Mhichíl.

A survey of over 8,500 species of flora and fauna was also displayed to reflect Cliara also known as Clare Island.

Local materials were used to build tactile displays including a linen tapestry mapping Ireland’s maritime zone alongside sea sack seats woven from discarded fishers’ rope.

The recycled art works were used to highlight the traditional heritage of each island.

The exhibition is curated by a team of five architects, selected to represent Ireland on the basis of an open call, they include Elizabeth Hatz, Peter Cody, Mary Laheen, Peter Carroll and Joseph Mackey.

All five have a deep connection with the islands of Ireland, in particular the drystone-wall field-boundary landscape of the Aran Islands.

Mary Laheen said the name Hy-Brasil refers to a mythical Atlantic island and the reimagining of Ireland

Ms Laheen said: “It has its origins in the territory of the Brasil clan like Clanbrassil Street in Dublin, and has been a surname in Ireland.

“It was mapped from the 15th Century onwards.

“But we were interested in the mythical and harnessing our imagination to create a new way of inhabiting the world.”

Ms Laheen said they were “looking at islands and how they develop resilience, live sustainably and they use scant resources.”

“That’s something that all of us have to start doing now,” she said.

“So, when we talk about Hy-Brasil we’re talking about the islands of Ireland and how we have to reimagine Ireland and work for the future,” she added.

Hy-Brasil is an immersive experience examining the relationship between the islands of Ireland and their natural environment.

Peter Cody said the modern world can learn from these rural communities.

Mr Cody said: “We were interested in the island’s people, and how they are viewed as peripheral, yet in terms of renewable energy and recycling, these islands are way ahead of the Irish mainland.

“They are very cohesive communities who never lost sight of their place within the environment, nature is still in their vocabulary and they care for and look after that connection with nature.”

He said their aim was to “evoke a conversation between people to discuss deep structural changes about how we live our lives, and there are no easy solutions.”

“But we have to start listening to the tacit knowledge that is deeply embedded in rural cultures where connection with nature has survived,” he said.

Swedish architect, Elizabeth Hatz said that Inis Meáin is “one of the most physically intelligent islands in the world”.

Ms Hatz said the “whole island is a temple for animals and just look at the landscape.”

She said: “There’s a perfect balance because you’ve got the scenery mixed with the soil, so it’s an absolutely beautiful thing.

“And it’s so humbling but also invigorating to come here.

“So here we are and it’s raining right now and next minute there’s sunshine.

“I am filled with energy and a kind of serenity you know, that things can actually work in balance.”

Ms Hatz said she loved “the idea that young people can come here to learn Irish and understand how things are dependent on each other.”

“You know you can’t always be caught in the screen of your mobile phone or your computer,” she said.

“You have to understand the world is really physical. So, we need people to work with their hands,” Ms Hatz said.

“And the hand is connected with the brain and so the whole cognitive thing, you understand the world with your hands and with your body. I think that that is absolutely essential,” she added.

Director of the Arts Council Maureen Kennelly said this project is part of their remit to regional development.

Ms Kennelly said: “It’s really important to us to reach every single pocket of Ireland. So this project could hardly be better.

“The Arts Council is the national agency to develop the arts throughout Ireland so a project like this, which brings the arts to Inis Meáin is absolutely perfect in terms of our remit to reach every single person in Ireland through the arts.”

She said that “it is very exciting to see how our adaptability to harsh conditions over the centuries can show us the way to more sustainable living today.”

“In the era of global warming and the challenges of climate change, it is a theme that resonates globally,” she said.

Mairéad Ní Fhatharta, Príomhoide Choláiste Naomh Eoin, said Inis Meáin was “honoured” to be hosting the official opening of Hy-Brasil.

“To live on an island you have to be very, very resourceful,” Ms Ní Fhatharta said.

“You’re at the mercy of the elements and you have to live sustainably to survive,” she said.

“And when you look around these islands you see the inhabitants have been doing this for centuries,” she added.

Ms Ní Fhatharta said that “you have to be at one with nature to live out here for sure.

“But look at what you get in return!”

Mairéad beams as she looks across the stunning landscape and says she’s proud that Hy-Brasil is giving Inis Meáin an international platform.

Those sentiments were echoed by Eoghan Ó Domhnaill, Oifigeach Pleanála Teanga, Inis Meáin.

“I think it’s very nice that the opening is here because we have so much involvement in the project and the filming of a documentary which will be shown later this year,” he said.

Mr Ó Domhnaill said: “Inis Meáin is my home and understandably I’m biased about the beauty of the island and the quality of life here.

“But even from an outside perspective, it’s plain to see how unique it is, and you would be hard pressed to find such a place anywhere else.

“The landscape and the traditions are unmatched and I suppose that’s what makes the place so special.”

In Search of Hy-Brasil is heading on tour later this year with the full installation being exhibited at Solstice in Navan on dates between June and August.

It will also feature in Architecture at the Edge, Co Galway in September and October.