Momentum 2021: Public arts community festival launched

The Momentum 2021 Public Arts Community Festival was launched today by Mayor of Fingal Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh.

On Saturday 14^th & Sunday 15^th August Momentum 2021 will take place with over 100 community performers and offstage volunteers from taking part in this bespoke public art event.

The festival includes events such as the Grasshoppers Early Years Corner at the Hub in Lusk, an exhibition of photos, videos and memorabilia by Lusk Heritage Group; a short play about a local footballing legend; and some outdoor music sessions at various popular venues in the evenings.

In 2019, theatre artist Declan Gorman was awarded a public art commission as part of Fingal County Council’s Public Art Programme Infrastructure.

The commission supported the artist to co-create new work with a community.

This activated a process of research and meetings with community and educational interests in the Lusk-Rush-Skerries area to explore options for an innovative public performance project.

The aim was to engage with individuals to collaborate with the artist in re-imagining their own home area, its history, landscape and contemporary social life through drama, dance and song.

From this process, The Green Belt Arts Initiative was established with a group of 14 participants meeting on a weekly basis on zoom, exploring themes such as local history, customs and social change, in guided creative exercises that ranged from fiction writing to improvised performances and singing.

The group then began working towards a public art event that would take place when community celebrations could be possible again.

At the heart of the festival is a trilogy of short plays, written specifically for the Momentum 2021 Festival to be performed along a walking route stretching from the remaining ruin of the Kenure House portico in St. Catherine’s Estate, to the Martello Tower at Dumanagh Promontory.

Augmenting this there will be dozens of interconnected pop-up scenes and monologues along guided afternoon walking routes in both Rush & Lusk villages.

“After such a long time of disappointment following the cancellation of so many local and national events it is so uplifting to see a public event adapting to allow the community to come together to safely celebrate Fingal’s Heritage and Culture and local talent in such an innovative and creative way,” said Ó Rodaigh

Fingal County Council’s Chief Executive, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Momentum 2021 reflects the times that we are living in and the resilience of people in the face of adversity. It is a community event that embraces the outdoors in an intrinsic way and leads the way for similar outdoor community events of the future. Well done to all involved.”

Full Details and bookings for the Festival are available on www.momentum2021.com