THE LFTT LIBRARY GETS PORTABLE!

description

The LFTT Library is a four hundred year old library which was rescued from near abandonment by myself Helen Horgan and Danyel Ferrari. It was once the private library of a group of Franciscan Monks. Since 2009 the Library has been brought back to life and kept in the public domain as a mobile archive, providing a unique context and body of material for initiating artistic projects. Books in the library range in subject matter from theology to mysticism, poetry, literature, science, art and politics, and represent a striking snapshot of Irish history which was about to be lost.

To ensure the collections durability and versatility as a mobile archive I would like to commission Tasmanian theatre-designer Cliff Doliver to build a bespoke modular system for housing the books, so that the dual functions of storage and display can be made interchangeable. This will expand on the libraries ethos of mobility and access, enabling its greater adaptability to future environments, while making aspects of the collection obtainable to a wider audience.

The LFTT Library does not receive any ongoing funding. The build of this new support structure will fundamentally affect the projects greater efficiency, enabling the future care of the collection while broadening its reach to a wider public network. This is an important moment in the project as the Library embarks on a collaborative residency with The Guesthouse in Cork. If you decide to fund it you will be supporting a unique part of our shared cultural heritage.

About Cliff Doliver
Cliff Doliver and his company ‘Dowtcha’ have worked with many visual arts groups including the Crawford Gallery and C.I.T. He was previously responsible for building a similar mobile archival system for Megs Morleys ‘Artist Led Archive’ project which is now housed in the National Irish Visual Arts Library at NCAD. For detailed information of what he proposes for The LFTT have a watch of our Fund it video. Also check out Cliff’s website www.dowtcha.com

About the LFTT
The LFTT (*Legs Foundation for the Translation of Things) Library has been travelling to various locations around the country since 2010. Most recently at The Highlanes Gallery in 2013, myself and the director Aoife Ruane co-curated the first LFTT Library show ‘Things in Translation: The Legs Foundation.’** Eight artists were commissioned to make new work in response to items from the collection, including previous Venice Biennale representative Susan MacWilliams’ first neon work ‘Where are the Dead’; Jessica Foleys’ live radio play ‘Elsies Counter,’ and Vivienne Byrnes multi-visual work ‘Merging Point'. A full programme of performances and events ran for the summer. For further details on previous projects and to view some of the books visit www.thelfttlibrary.com and facebook.

*An idea with reach is said to have “legs” and the word translation was historically used as a term to describe the movement of objects, particularly sacred ones, from place to place.
**Thanks to financial support from Louth County Council, Highlanes Gallery and The DAF.