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Contact: lian.bell at gmail.com
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I am an artist, scenographer, and arts manager. I work across artforms, and am based in Dublin.
My work has been seen in galleries, on stages, and in unexpected locations, indoors and out, in Ireland, France, the UK, and the US. I studied in Trinity College Dublin, Central Saint Martins, and the National College of Art and Design.
I have created scenography for performance, structured walks and conversations, photography, craft-inspired objects, and installations. I use deliberately tactile materials, often found or reclaimed, in a way that renders the handmade, crafted nature visible. Works can also be ephemeral and only exist in photographic documentation, or other forms of even more unreliable documentation. The work often is attempting to hold onto, or commemorate, something that resists stasis and has already fallen apart.
As a manager I design ways to build community, create space for deep thinking, and bring Irish artists in contact with their international counterparts. I facilitate get togethers, with an emphasis on walking, talking, and informal hanging out as a way to develop meaningful conversations and connections. I take a coaching approach to my work, and I also support artists and arts workers through one to one coaching. All aspects of my work overlap aesthetically and ethically.
Over 25 years of practice, I have been granted multiple funding awards by the Arts Council of Ireland, and have made work on residencies in Ireland (Tyrone Guthrie Centre and Sirius Arts Centre), France (Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris) and Finland (Arteles, Haukijärvi). I’ve also won awards for my work as a feminist activist with the highly impactful #WakingTheFeminists campaign.
I am a member of IETM international network for contemporary performing arts, the Irish Society of Performance Designers, Performing Arts Forum, Visual Artists Ireland, and Praxis Artists Union. I’m a member of the Readers’ Advisory Committee of the National Library of Ireland, and a former board member of Rua Red. And since I spent most of my college years there, I’m particularly delighted to have been made an Honorary Patron of DU Players, Trinity College Dublin.
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