Csilla
Toldy
CFCP
NEW VOICES
OF IRELAND
SERIES 8
Against The Odds 2:
Open Studios
Csilla Toldy
Csilla Toldy’s poetry, short fiction and essays appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthol-ogies. Her poetry collection Red Roots – Orange Sky was published by Lapwing Publications Bel-fast in 2013, followed by an anthology of short fiction, poetry and memoir with the title “The Emi-grant Woman’s Tale” in 2015 and “Vertical Montage” in 2018, which was launched at Dublin Liter-ary Festival. Csilla’s short story collection “Angel Fur and other stories” was published by Stupor Mundi Press, Fife and reviewed in Irish Times.
Csilla has an MA in creative writing for film and TV from Sheffield University. Her scripts won in-ternational prizes such as the Hartley-Merrie and Katapult Prize.
Csilla’s video poems were screened at the Videoholica Video Art Festival in Varna, the Mix2 Con-ference of Digital Writing at Bath University, and at the Lighthouse Art Centre in Poole, UK, during culture nights in Dublin and at Belfast Film Festival. “Bussokusekika”was selected for the ZEBRA International Poetry Film Festival in Munster. The video poem “Belfast Exposed”, she created for New Voices Ireland 7 won Best Street Art Film in Berlin. In 2020 Csilla was commissioned to cre-ate a video poem as a public artwork by the Executive Office of Northern Ireland for Holocaust Memorial Day.
Artist Statement
In my video poems, just as in poetry, I am interested in layers of meaning. Like you can read a po-em many times and you discover new meanings, the same thing happens with video poems. The connection of text, sound and moving image create a new entity that come about from the intercon-nected footage, sound and rhythm.
It was exciting to work with Viviana, for her Italian brought a new musical element into the video poem. Her poems inspired me to respond and to look at elements of my life related to migration, home and languages.
In Pioneers/Arriving I tried to create an overlay of languages, Hungarian and Italian, like an inkblot test in which the ambiguous, meaningless image creates a new meaning in the viewer’s mind. In this case, it is the sound of the two languages. The poems describe our experiences of arriving in North-ern Ireland fifteen years apart. I was pleased that Viviana’s poem ended with so much hope and warmth, representing the change in society, too.
My Work
To take part in New Voices Ireland Series 8, Italian poet Viviana Fiorentino, and Hungarian poet Csilla Toldy decided to create a poetic dialogue. Viviana wrote her poems in Italian and English, Csilla wrote her poems as responses in English and Hungarian.
We conducted our discussion on zoom and the readings are illustrated by footage. One poem “Pio-neers/Arriving” came about by working remotely, shooting footage from our own environment. The footage and sound was directed and edited by Csilla to create a video poem.
Writing is a solitary activity, and we can only connect with an audience when we read. Unfortunate-ly, due to Covid-19 this direct experience with a community is taken from us at present. The online interview offers an opportunity to connect with each other and with our audience if albeit in an asynchronous manner.
CFCP New Voices of Ireland Series 8: The Work
CFCP
New Voices
of Ireland
Series 8
Against The Odds 2:
Open Studios
Intro
The voices of migrants, the main agents of cultural diversity and collaboration, are rarely heard and in these challenging times there is a danger that they will be completely marginalised. Hence, the focus of this year’s New Voices Series – Against the Odds 2: Open Studios is on visibility and dialogue.
The aim of the New Voices of Ireland Series is to present migrant artists to the wider online community, to let them tell about their artistic practices, their new and previous works, their plans and about themselves, their lives in Ireland and their artistic and personal roots.
Through the series we want to provide a platform for both physical and conceptual communication between migrant and local artists, their communities and their artworks.
The New Voices of Ireland Series have been developed and run by the Centre for Creative Practices since 2013.
The New Voices of Ireland Series is curated by Monika Sapielak, an independent curator and Artistic Director of the Centre for Creative Practices.
The New Voices of Ireland Series is funded and kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
The
Programme
11th February
to 1st April 2021
In response to the COVID19 restrictions, the 8th edition of the New Voices Series – Against the Odds 2: Open Studios will be run as an online series of events.
Despite the lockdown and the adverse conditions in 2020, we wanted to continue our work on the New Voice of Ireland Series and give migrant and culturally diverse artists who all severely suffered due to the lockdowns and loss of jobs and income, an opportunity to work artistically and collaborate while isolating. Moving the programme online was the way to go. Working online also allowed us to select more artists than usual.
Session
1
6.45pm - Vernissage
7.30pm - YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm - Q&A with the artists on zoom, live on Facebook
Leia Mocan
Umbilical Cord, video, 14 min; An eulogy of transformation marking the continuous migration of self, interleaved with witness testimonials, historical and found imagery.
Zahra Khan
Through prose and images, I am reflecting on my relationship with my mother and her country, my body parts, and the witch in Pakistani mythology.
Imogen-Blue Hinojosa
A trailer for my short film " Bed Of Leaves" in which I seek to draw attention to the ever rising death toll of trans women of colour worldwide.
Session
2
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Mirjana Rendulic
"A death of a Star" is a personal piece reflecting grief of losing a father. Written and performed by Mirjana Rendulic and filmed by Mark McNally.
Chinedum Muotto
Themes of patriarchy, religion, sacrifice, archetypes and memories are manifested in this piece weaving between childhood and adulthood to trace the effects of ‘fathering’ then and now.
Session
3
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Viviana Fiorentino
‘Neither here, nor there’- a dialogue between two poets interspersed with reading in Italian, Hungarian and English. Reflection on home and belonging.
Csilla Toldy
In my video poems, just as in poetry, I am interested in layers of meaning. A new entity comes about from the interconnected footage, sound and rhythm.
Session
4
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Nasrin Golden
A short animation inspired by Iordanis's composition “As the Leaves Fall” by which I was deeply moved. The music directed my imagination creating feelings of hope and happiness.
Iordanis Sidiropoulos
I composed a new piece of music based on one of Nasrin´s paintings called Shahmaran which is the name of an ancient Persian Goddess.
Session
5
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Diviane Helena
Six videos, inspired by virtual meetings between two female artists and their exchange and studies about ancestry, femininity and traditional sacred rituals from Ireland and Brazil.
Barbara O'Meara
Mobile phone videos & art installations. Filmed in synchronicity with Diviane in our different places of residence to communicate a sense of interconnectedness despite Covid-19.
Session
6
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Irina Maldea
An interpretation of the iconic and hallowed Irish landscapes that includes/imposes the immigrant stories and their inner journey.
Nkosikhona Ngcobo
Migration leads to the new identity, “becoming”. “I AM” is the title of my video where “I” becomes “Identity”, “A’ becomes “Art” and “M” becomes “Migration”.
Session
7
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Samantha Brown
Listening to Gboyega’s music inspired me to walk to the local river leading me to thoughts of the many people that had travelled by sea as migrants, travellers or explorers.
Gboyega Akerele
I titled this soundtrack ASHE (AMEN) - good wishes for our journey in life. The world needs a lot of courage in this extraordinary times and I hope my tune will inject some sunshine.
Session
8
7.00pm – Introduction on Zoom
7.30pm – YouTube Premier live streaming
8.00pm – Q&A with the artists on zoom
Tag Beckett
"WHY I MAKE" is a celebration of the power of art.
art can guide revolutions
art can be used as medication (…)
we are from different countries with different beliefs and cultures, but we can communicate through art
Roxana Manouchehri
The visual conversation between the two artists from different backgrounds makes this conversation unique and challenging. The viewer get involved with images, texts and music in a fun and artistic way.
Press
& Media
Feedback
Coverage
Engagement
Irish Times
“The western world has to realise that there is much more to contemporary art than the Europocentric and America-centric approach, and that the rest of the world also ‘produces’ mature artistic voices and styles that are unique and actual.” Monika Sapielak, CEO of CFCP in the Irish Times on 10 February 2021
Arts Council of Ireland
The CFCP New Voices of Ireland Series 8 was offically opened by Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council of Ireland. Maureen said about CFCP that:
"You (CFCP) are shortening the journey for Migrant artists to gain visibility in Ireland"
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council of Ireland
Wicklow People & Bray People
“We wanted to provide migrants and culturally diverse artists in Ireland with an opportunity to collaborate and exhibit.” Monika Sapielak, CEO of CFCP in the Wicklow People on 17 February 2021
BAM Magazine
“In my video poems, just as in poetry, I am interested in layers of meaning. A new entity comes about from the interconnected footage, sound and rhythm.” Csillly Toldy in BAM Magazine
Westmeath Examiner
“The event is a major celebration of the diversity within the artistic community of Ireland.” Nasrin Golden, multimedia artist in the Westmeath Examiner on 24/02/2021
Radio Latina / Near FM
Radio Latinas and Near FM for taking the time to talk to two artists from the New Voices Series, Diviane Helena & Barbara O'Meara, on Radio Latina / Near FM 10/03/2021
CFCP
On Air
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BACKGROUND TO THE NEW VOICES OF IRELAND SERIES
The New Voices of Ireland Series is a flagship project of integrative, cultural practice between migrant and local artists as well as audiences curated and presented by the Centre for Creative Practices.
The New Voices of Ireland Series aims to:
- Connect creative talent from new communities and various social groups from all over Ireland
- Give migrant and culturally diverse artists an opportunity to share their work and talent with a wide local and international audience
- Engage artists to express their views on social challenges and the role of culture in modern society through artistic practice
The New Voices of Ireland Series is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
Queries: If you have any questions, please contact monika@cfcp.ie or call 086-6084020
