'The spectacle has irradiated into everything and has absolute control over production, over perception, and especially over the shape of the future and the past'

Each work is framed by an arabesque (a complex, ornate design of intertwined floral, foliate, and geometric figures) made by Jean de Tournes in Lyon (1556) which has been 'sampled' using techniques more usually employed within the realm of graffiti and punk.

The arabesque frames otherwise ephemeral incidences of subjective interventions into the urban environment, creating a tension between established cultural value and random graffiti. This is followed by a variety of formal and conceptual references to minimalism, modernism, architecture, graffiti, punk, pop, street-art, and mapping. The work reflects the multiplicity of musical practice and formal variation and aims to activate the social space of Walton's with specific references to historical and contemporary artistic practice.

The concern is not to make a definitive work but to suggest a variety of forming and formative processes.

FINTAN FRIEL 2005

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THE SITE: WALTONS NEW SCHOOL OF MUSIC
The international project Rhythm-A-Ning began when Declan Sheehan, curator at Context Galleries, Derry, identified Dublin's Walton's (Ireland's largest music shops, with a dynamic School of Music, several ensembles, and active Outreach strand) as a hub of potential creativity in music and beyond music: particularly for unique, innovative and exciting site-specific artwork.

Walton's New School of Music at South Great George's Street is Dublin's comprehensive music centre, combining music tuition of the highest standard with innovative approaches to music education. The New School offers tuition in the broadest range of instruments and styles of any music school in Ireland. Whether it is classical music, Irish traditional music, jazz, world music, popular music or innovative technology, there are many different paths by which students may enter the New School. Inside, rooms are filled with people of all ages, skill levels, economic circumstances and cultural backgrounds who come together to explore the universal language of music. Students - over a thousand each term - range in age from five to over eighty. For those who study music purely for enjoyment (a variety of instrumental, theory and music appreciation courses for beginners), and training for those who want to make a career of music. Tuition in most instruments and theory to teaching diploma level and beyond, as well as training in such specialised styles and techniques as flamenco guitar and jazz piano.