Ceara Conway
Dóchas: Hope, 2018 Commissioned as part of ''Ó Chill Chaoil go Carna'' with Oireachtas na Gaeilge with support from the Arts Council, Waterways Ireland and FLAG West
Dóchas:Hope is a performance video work that draws its inspiration from the historical boat journey taken by five fishermen from Carna who brought five boats from Cill Chaoill to Connemara in the 1950’s in the hope of bettering their lives. Composed in the manner of a journey or pilgrimage the piece explores universal themes of praise, tragedy and hope through both traditional and contemporary song. The work was filmed on the Ardnacrusha, Shannon - Grand Canal, Dublin - Ormston House, Limerick and Carna, Connemara.
For this commission the artist formed a unique ‘’ Water Ensemble ‘’ four female vocalists to accompany her and to symbolically represent the five boats as five voices and the otherwise unspoken presence of women in the story. Water Ensemble: Alice Presencer , Ceara Conway, Ciara Thompson, Yordanka Tegarkova, Stephanie S. K. Marbach
Filming and Editing: Tom Flanagan, Sound: Andy Connolly. Lighting: Tom Walsh
Dance Limerick, Ealaíon na Gaeltachta, Ormston House Cultural Centre, Naas Men’s Sheds, UL Surf Club, Sonas B&B, Pat Lysaght, Padraic Céoinin and Dominic Thorpe