Mr Ando

Andrew Whitson is an artist and a Belfast native who lives in an old house below a castle in the shadow of a giant’s nose. He makes pictures in the tower of a very old church which he hangs on walls and puts into books. Sometimes he works so late in the tower that he gets locked in and he has to use his secret magic key to get in and out of the church when there is no one else around.

Is ealaíontóir agus Feirsteach ó dhúchas é Andrew Whitson. Cónaíonn sé i seanteach atá taobh thíos de chaisleán agus buailte le srón fathaigh. In eaglais iontach sean, déanann sé pictiúir sa túr a chrochann sé ar bhallaí agus a chuireann sé i leabhair. In amanna, bíonn sé ag obair chomh mall sin sa túr go nglasáiltear isteach é. Ansin, caithfidh sé úsáid a bhaint as a eochair rúnda, dhraíochta le dul isteach agus amach as an eaglais nuair nach bhfuil duine ar bith eile thart.

Tháinig an smaoineamh don taispeántas seo ó thionscadal greannán mar ar chuir Neacha Inaitheanta cuma fórsa póilíneachta spioradálta orthu féin.

Tig an taispeántas ‘Inaitheanta?’ ón smaoineamh gur féidir go bhfuil cosantóir againn uilig, cosantóir atá dofheicthe ach a bhíonn linn i gcónaí. Ní coincheap nua é seo nó tá sé coitianta i gcultúir éagsúla fud fad an domhain. Príomhghné eile an taispeántais mar a dhéanann muid ár gcuid féin de na híomhánna ‘inaitheanta’ sin a d’imir tionchar orainn go háirithe agus muid óg.

‘Familiar?’ was an idea born out of the thought that we may all have an unseen but ever present protector. This concept is of course not new as can be witnessed in countless cultures around the world. The other major thread running through this exhibition is the idea that we subvert the images that influence us, especially in our youth, and make them our own.

D’eascair an bunsmaoineamh don taispeántas seo as tionscnamh greannán ar a raibh mé ag obair inar chuir ‘Neacha Inaitheanta’ cuma fórsa póilíní spioradálta orthu féin is iad ag obair i gcomhar le príomhcharachtar an scéil.

The idea of ‘Familiars’ came from a comic book project on I had been working where ‘Familiars’ took the form of a spiritual police force working in tandem with the main protagonist from the story.

Roimh i bhfad, ba léir dom go bhféadfaí an coincheap seo a leathnú sa dóigh go mb’fhéidir an spreag-íomhá a dhúisíonn an chuimhne a úsáid mar chlib dearaidh nó mar stíl ‘inaitheanta’ le cuid de na saothair amhairc is na smaointe amhairc is nua agam a threorú.

It soon became apparent however that this concept could be extended beyond one art platform where the visual triggers could be used as a design tag or signature style to steer some of my new visual explorations and ideas.

Is é is bun le húsáid na hamharc-chlibeanna seo agam ná iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar thionchar phopchultúr m’óige ag am nach raibh an teilifís ná teicneolaíochtaí eile na meán cumarsáide ach ina dtús agus iad teoranta dá réir, ní hamháin ó thaobh caighdeáin de ach ó thaobh forleithne de fosta.

My use of these visual tags is a means of exploring childhood pop culture influences at a time when television and other mass media technology was still in its infancy and therefore quite limited, not only in its quality, but also its quantity.

Ar bhealach, cuairt chumhach ar ré níos soineanta atá ann, ré ina raibh an popchultúr ag teacht i méadaíocht, ré roimh theacht i dtreis na réabhlóide digití.

In a way it is a nostalgic throw back to a simpler time which through the 70’s 80’s and 90’s began to find its pop culture feet before the digital revolution began to take hold.

Mar sin de, achan cheann de na formáidí meán cumarsáide lena bhfuil mé ag plé, baineann sé le carachtair ar leith de chuid theilifís na bpáistí agus araile agus tá athchuairt á tabhairt agam orthu faoi anáil an chumha. Ag an am chéanna, tá mé ag atógáil na gcarachtar agus ag cur mo chlib féin leo – léiriú nua-aimseartha trí mheán na gcuimhní cinn.

Therefore, each of the mass media formats I am exploring relates to specific characters from children’s tv and beyond that I am revisiting from a nostalgic perspective. I am reconstructing them with my own tag attached, a modern interpretation through my own recollections.

An t-athléamh seo ar thionchair m’óige, tá súil agam go gcruthóidh sé eangach amhairc de chuimhní cinn. Bailiúchán saothar é a gcuirfear leis, a mbainfear dó nó a ndéanfar atheagrú air am ar bith, tógán atá fréamhaithe in eispéireas na hóige, in eispéireas an lae inniu, in eispéireas na todhchaí.

It is hoped that the reinterpretation of influences from my childhood will form a visual grid of past memories. This will be an ongoing body of work which can be added to, taken away from or rearranged at any given point, a construct built on my experiences from childhood to the present and into the future.

Carachtar beag gorm cosúil le róbó a bheas ina shiombail den tógán seo. Beidh sé ag cur faoi sa tírdhreach amhairc seo arb é athchóiriú mo scéil féin é.

This construct will be symbolized by a small blue robot-like character who will inhabit the reformation of my unique history in this visual landscape.