Fingal film set for October launch
Echo’s Bones is an ambitious two-year collaborative filmmaking project, led by artist Sarah Browne, with a group of autistic young people, in north county Dublin, commissioned by Fingal County Council under the Infrastructure 2017 – 2021 Public Art Programme and will be launched on October 8th 2022.
Echo’s Bones is an ambitious two-year collaborative filmmaking project, led by artist Sarah Browne, with a group of autistic young people, in north county Dublin, commissioned by Fingal County Council under the Infrastructure 2017 – 2021 Public Art Programme and will be launched on October 8th 2022.
The film takes its title from an unpublished short story by Samuel Beckett set in Fingal in the 1930s, originally intended to be part of the collection More Pricks Than Kicks. Situated in the same geography and borrowing from a Beckett sensibility, autism is not the topic of the film but a way of sensing the world and speculating about a shared future.
Echo’s Bones was developed in 2021, with thirteen young people aged between16 and 22, through a series of online workshops facilitated by Sarah Fitzgibbon, Sarah Browne and Eleanor Walsh, involving creative writing, acting, composition and filmmaking. These workshops included creative tasks in response to invited guests and artwork prompts, and discussions about autistic representation in film, TV and online. Further in-person devising and rehearsing phases were facilitated by Sarah Browne and theatremaker Mark Ball. Roles in the project were chosen by individuals in the group according to their distinctive interests (acting, writing, directing, music, drawing) and the film has been shaped by these choices.
The premiere screening of Echo’s Bones will be launched by the Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Howard Mahony at the Light House Cinema, Smithfield on Saturday 8th October from 11am – 1pm. The film is 26 minutes long and will play twice: the first time with captions, the second time with an audio description. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Sarah Browne and some of the young people involved.
Mayor of Fingal, Councillor Howard Mahony said “I look forward to celebrating the premiere of Echo’s Bones which showcases the incredible creative skills and commitment of a group of neurodiverse young people who came together to develop and co-produce this impressive new film with artist Sarah Browne. Congratulations to all those involved.”
Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly said “Fingal County Council is delighted to support this public art commission. We are extremely proud of these talented young people and their accomplishment in creating this remarkable film and bringing it to a public audience.”
Tickets for the film premiere and an additional screening on Sunday 9th October are free and can be booked on www.echosbones.eventbrite.com. The venue is wheelchair accessible and further information is available at the booking link.
A preview of the film can be viewed at Echo’s Bones – trailer on Vimeo The film is accompanied by a soundtrack which is available for free and can be downloaded on www.echosbonesfingal.bandcamp.com
A book featuring newly commissioned writing & artistic research from the project will be published in 2023.
For further details and additional booking information please see www.fingalarts.ie/publicart
Fingal County Council’s Infrastructure Programme 2017- 2021 is a countywide Public Art programme funded through the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government’s Per Cent for Art Scheme – www.fingal.ie/infrastructure