The Art of Politics

Calling all creative types: your country needs you...

Courtesy of UpStart

Economic depression and political turmoil create great art; so runs the theory and if it proves to be correct, UpStart could well be in on the ground floor of a new Irish renaissance...

UpStart, a non-profit arts collective that wants to put creativity at the centre of public consciousness during the Irish General Election Campaign in 2011, says it aims to “encourage a debate on the role of the arts in this state.”

To that end, the collective intends to reinterpret the spaces commonly used for displaying election campaign posters in Dublin City and is calling on all artists to submit work for this exhibition. They’ve also made a Stephen Rea voice-overed animated video setting out their stall (click here to see it).

Oscar Wilde apparently once said that all art is quite useless but of course (clever Irish man that he was) he was actually implying the opposite. One of the benchmarks of an evolved society (at least by anthropological standards) is a high level of artistic sophistication or, to use more market driven terminology; a burgeoning creative industry is a necessary corollary of a successful post-industrial economy.

UpStart would appear to be alive to both interpretations of this reality: “we hope to highlight the importance of creativity and ingenuity when society is in need of direction and solutions, and to emphasise the value of the arts to public life. We believe that the future development of the country requires a healthy cultivation of the Arts,” according to the collective.

The plan is to seek submissions from the full range of artistic disciplines with the ambitious target of 500 submissions from writers and visual artists, photographers, painters and graphic designers.

It is is envisaged that these works would be duplicated and 1,000 pieces would be printed as election-size posters to be displayed throughout Dublin city. Work from musicians and film makers will also be considered and hosted/exhibited through the Upstart website which will be launched on the day of the electoral poster campaign.

For more information on UpStart click here...

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