One of the hit events of this year’s Arts Festival is an exhibition from members of Arts Alive, a group of people with intellectual disabilities, who worked with artist and educator Jane Cassidy to produce a show that’s colourful, musical and joyous. JUDY MURPHY hears how it developed.

For something that began with relatively modest ambitions, the show created by Arts Alive for this year’s Galway International Arts Festival is making serious waves. Thousands of people have already streamed through the doors of the Aula Maxima at the University of Galway to experience Tactile Tunes, a magical, immersive installation created by a group of adults with intellectual disabilities, who have been working on the project since January, with professional artist and educator Jane Cassidy.

Arts Alive Galway is a community-based, non-profit arts programme for adults with intellectual disabilities, run under the auspices of the Brothers of Charity.

Ten people with intellectual disabilities, including Down Syndrome and the less well-known William Syndrome, who are aged between 24 and 45, are involved. They are Amy Clarke, Aoife King, Natasha Lydon, Róisín de Búrca, Eilish Lee, Richard Hickey, James O’Connell, David McAnena, Alan Keady and Damien Graham.

The group’s initial idea had been to create a mural, Jane explains, but once they began exploring ideas there was an outpouring of creativity. The result is seven sculptural pieces, which are musical instruments as well as works of art. They are designed so that visitors to the space can play them in a way that is resonant and harmonious.

“It’s been really good so far,” observes Arts Alive member Alan Keady of the exhibition. “Coming up with ideas was tough and putting it all together was hard enough”, adds Alan from Doughiska in the city, who will be 39 next month. Enjoyable too.

“Once ideas came into our heads, we were flat out working together, getting it done. It was a great opportunity and it’s great to have it here.”

Having visited several potential venues earlier in the year with Arts Festival Director, Paul Fahy, it was April before Arts Alive settled on the Aula Maxima as the location for Tactile Tunes.

This 19th century space, with its gothic arches and high ceilings, set members’ imaginations on fire and led to them choosing the Aurora Borealis as the show’s overarching theme — entering the Aula, visitors are embraced by swirls of colours, courtesy of a piece called Cosmic CDJ that was inspired by the Northern Lights.

The diversity of work on display here reflects the various talents and personalities of the Arts Alive members, with creations ranging from Richard Hickey’s vividly coloured eight-foot-high triangle, titled Dancing Isosceles, to James O’Connell’s The Westend Rattle, a box that lights up and vibrates when you touch it. Cois Fharraige comprises a series of shells from Leitir Móir, where Róisín de Búrca is from, while Clocha an Cladaigh is a tribute to the group’s base in the city’s Westend. As with the shells, the stones in this piece are placed on a plinth in a curved shape. The Stone of Destiny is an impressive rock, which has been painted with conductive paint, as have the shells in Cois Fharraige and stones in Clocha an Cladaigh. Stone of Destiny stands majestic in the middle of the room, while over to the right is Harmonious Hearts, a colourful circular piece with two musical hearts that represent love.

Pictured: Artists  James O’Connell and Alan Keady with The Stone of Destiny, which was made musical by the use of conductive paint.