The transformative power of art, culture and community to show how technology can be used to address some of the issues around climate change was the central theme of the Official Opening of the Hunt Museum’s latest exhibition “Night’s Candles are Burnt Out”.
Officially opened by the Mayor of Limerick City & County Council, Gerard Mitchell, "Night's Candles are Burnt Out" invites visitors to explore how Ireland can embrace its pioneering history and lead the way in addressing the Climate Challenge, by harnessing the immense renewable energy potential of the Shannon Estuary, particularly through wind and water. It takes inspiration from the enormous undertaking in 1929 of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme in Ardnacrusha, and Sean Keating's painting Night's Candles Are Burnt Out (on semi-permanent loan to the Hunt Museum), which chronicles the impact of the development on Ireland.
During the event, Climate Ambassador Hannah Kindregan spoke about the importance of inclusivity when bridging the gap between people’s perceptions of climate change and the actions that can be taken to address it. Her talk was followed by a panel discussion with Sean Hegarty, ESB, Pat Keating, Shannon Foynes Port, Gary Brennan, GKinetic and Marie Gleeson, Western Star Floating Wind on the enormous potential for Ireland presented by renewable energy.
Facilitated by Live 95’s Nigel Dugdale, the panellists reflected on Sean Keatings’ allegory, which is a commentary of modernisation and resistance to change, and called on the government and communities to be fearless rather than fearful of taking advantage of the huge maritime and estuary resource at our disposal and to put the policies, strategy and infrastructure in place that will allow us to deal with climate change on a global scale.
The panellists acknowledged that their companies need a ‘social licence to operate’ and that any future developments need community engagement and support.
Jill Cousins, Director, The Hunt Museum, said,
“The Hunt Museum's role in Climate Action is to serve as a creative community and educational hub to meaningful change. We brought our community and partners together to curate an interactive exhibition that encourages conversation and action on the Climate Crisis. Through the transformative power of art and culture, we hope to ignite behavioural change by creating an emotional connection to why change is needed and give people an understanding of how science and technology can move us from our reliance on non-renewable energy to a sustainable future. Our goal is to remove the fear and use culture as a platform that encourages change.”
This exhibition's overarching message is one of optimism, emphasizing the importance of translating technological advancements into meaningful, real-world progress. It is supported by a number of partners including ESB as key sponsor, Western Star Floating Wind, ESB Archives, Takumi, GKinetic, Shannon Airport Group, CityXchange Project, Mary Immaculate College and Shannon Foynes Port. It has a received a Regional Museum’s Grant from the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht, Media & Sport as the exhibition sets out Ireland’s role in Europe’s green energy transformation and demonstrates the technologies that can produce such renewable energy. It is also supported by Failte Ireland as the exhibition enhances Limerick’s offering as a Wild Atlantic Way Gateway City and builds on Limerick’s growing portfolio of unique visitor experiences.
More about the exhibition
The exhibition is co-created by companies involved in alternative energy supply and technology, local communities and contemporary artists interpreting the science and facts, translating the fears and aspirations.
As a creative immersive experience, visitors are brought through a series of installations starting with a flywheel and wind turbine in the courtyard. Visitors are taken on a journey from 100 years ago to the near-future, looking at Pre-electrification Ireland, the Electrical Revolution, Consumerism and The Tipping Point. This is followed by a phase of reflection. An art installation by Niamh Schmidtke helps us reflect on what it takes to create green energy and asks what is the impact of sustainable energy? The final phase of the experience focuses on the technology-led solutions at our disposal and the people power solutions. As visitors leave, they will have an opportunity to contribute to a Climate Community Action Mural – a city-wide art installation capturing their thoughts on all aspects of the climate crisis.
Over the coming months, The Hunt Museum will have lots of events and activities to support the exhibition including: Family workshops, Podcasts by experts and artists along with lectures and talks.
Opening Dates/Times/Tickets:
Tickets just €12.50 for adults, kids go free. Book on https://www.huntmuseum.com/visit/book-tickets/
Running until 29 February 2024.
The Museum opens Tuesday to Saturday: 10am - 5pm and on Sunday: 11am - 5pm
