Limerick artist brings ‘groundbreaking’ work to Leeside

ORIGINALLY from Limerick, then of Cork, but most recently of Berlin, artist Doireann O’Malley brings their latest cutting-edge installation to Cork’s Granary Theatre this week.

The 3D theatre play, Conversations on a Crosstown Algorithm, is the first iteration of Doireann’s new work, co-commissioned by the National Sculpture Factory.

As an immersive animation, the three-act play centres around a conversation between two queer characters, who dive into each other’s life stories, trauma, dreams, and nightmares.

The production, in association with Cork Midsummer Fest, runs from this Thursday, December 15 to Saturday, December 17.

Speaking about the complexities faced while trying to produce and direct such a project, Doireann began: “Originally there was supposed to be quite a big performance work with five performers and integrated virtual reality so the audience would have VR headsets and encounter it in a virtual environment.”

Unfortunately as the pandemic progressed, “it became a very difficult project as performance opportunities were shut down,” they added.

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Not one to shy away from the unconventional, Doireann has set this play predominantly in a virtual chatroom, reminiscent of an abandoned data centre or empty casino. The setting inspires the thought of where your online data may be stored and here the protagonists find themselves trapped. The play then invites audiences to reconsider the relationship between nature and technology.

Doireann shares their reason for the anomalous setting of the play as a link with one of the predominant themes of the play - behavioural manipulation from social media companies.

“Social media is centred around the ‘like’ button and generating this dopamine hit from checking your feed continuously. The two characters are stuck in this environment so the drama plays out from there”.

The director also took their chance to share the reality of some social issues within their 3D play which they felt were important.

“I identify as non-binary”, they began, “for a long time I have been struggling with not being totally comfortable being a female and that is something that has definitely informed my work from the beginning”. From a gender recognition standpoint, this play “allows people to explore themselves and generate networks of sharing for those who might not have encountered certain identities.

“There are a lot of heavy themes” they agreed, but in contrast “there is a lot of hope and dignity in the characters as they overcome adversity”.

Doireann hopes that next year they can bring Conversations on a Crosstown Algorithm to Limerick and are excited to visit their home cities before jetting back to Germany.