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Filmmaker in Residence, Mieke Vanmechelen.
A WRITER in Residence and Filmmaker in Residence have been appointed by Kerry County Council.
Donegal native, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, is this year’s Writer in Residence, while Filmmaker in Residence is Mieke Vanmechelen.
Annemarie Ní Churreáin is a poet and writer of creative non-fiction essays, Annemarie’s work is primarily concerned with the fragility and complexity of human relationships.
Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Writer In Residence.
She is a fluent Irish speaker who is looking forward to exploring the marks of history and mythology in the Kerry landscape.
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In addition to her work with communities and individuals, Annemarie will be touring sheelagh-na-gigs, soaking up the Dark Sky Reserve and looking at the story of Queen Scotia – daughter of an Egyptian Pharoah said to have died in battle in Kerry and be buried in Tralee.
During this residency Annemarie is working towards a new series of poems which explores the theme of female mythological characters in dialogue with Ireland today.
She will also run a series of structured and themed workshops with students, poets and creative thinkers, encouraging confidence especially among young people, supporting them to start composing, editing and sharing their own poems.
The writer works with groups and communities throughout the county. Professional writers have a long history of activity in the County working to support new talent as they discover it. They have worked with community groups, on special projects & publications, with schools and arts venues and at the same time finding inspiration in Kerry to develop their own personal work.
The Council is encouraging writers, bookshops, groups, communities and schools to make contact with them so that they can facilitate access to the Writer In Residence. Annemarie can also be contacted at writer@kerrycoco.ie
Belgian born, Mieke Vanmechelen has been living in Kerry since the early eighties and is well known in professional film circles for her outstanding work in film.
Mieke is reaching out to secondary school students on this residency and is keen to make contact with a great many schools. Her plan is to make a documentary in as many schools as possible with a strong emphasis on working collaboratively.
“I would like to work with teams of students, preferably from Junior Cert upwards, and with a total of 15 students from each school”, Mieke stated this week. “The work produced in each school will merge into a single project which will evolve from a question that is linked to the notion of diversity as well as the complexity of place and people within the county”.
Footage recorded will then serve as the basis for the project and will inspire additional footage which connects directly to the experiences/ideas/thoughts of the young people involved.
Mieke’s work will offer opportunity to explore and to tie ideas, notions and dreams together in what will be a powerful message from our young generation. “Accessibility and fun are a key part of the residency and we look forward greatly to seeing Mieke make inroads into our schools as there is a great love of film among this age group”, Kate Kennelly, Arts Officer at Kerry County Council stated about the project.
Mieke can be contacted at filmmaker@kerrycoco.ie The Filmmaker in Residence is a partnership between Kerry County Council and The Arts Council.
It is supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Trustees of Muckross House. As an expanded partnership it demonstrates the ethos of Creative Ireland, enabling creativity in every community.
