Strange Apparitions: Amabie Project Part 1

Fionnuala Doran

Strange Apparitions: Amabie Project Part 1

Research output: Non-textual form › Artefact

Abstract

Curated by Johanna Leech and Pollen Studios, invited artists were asked to reimagine the Japanese myth of the Amabie for 2020 pandemic Ireland. The Amabie is a mythical creature in Japanese culture; a long-haired, beaked merman who appears only to prophetize a coming epidemic or an abundant harvest. This artwork takes on the creature in the style of a 16th Century English pamphlet, a medium which acted as a way of cheaply and quickly disseminating information, propaganda in a pre-digital society. The pamphlet wars of the 16th century offer a mirror to the disinformation campaigns of the 21st Century, particularly acute during the Coronavirus pandemic. They also offer an example of crude mass visual communication, with emphasis on legibility over aesthetics.
In this artwork, a group of well dressed men crowd around Armagh Cathedral, the seat of Protestant power in Ireland, pointing at the apparitions in the sky above it. These apparitions are designed to mimic both the coronavirus particle and the great comet of 1577.

Original language	English
Size	72.25 * 89.92
Publication status	Published - 19 Jun 2021

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

pandemic
Japanese mythology
illustration
Japan-Ireland Exchange

1 Exhibition

Amabie Project
Doran, F. (Artist), Leech, J. (Curator), Yamayoshi, C. (Artist), Tomohiro, N. (Artist), Mizutani, I. (Artist), Tono, T. (Artist), Ota, Y. (Artist), Iino, T. (Artist), OHNO, S. (Artist), Hirose, Y. (Artist), Ando, K. (Artist), Magee, A. (Artist), Masuyama, S. (Artist), Kirkpatrick, C. (Artist), Gleason, G. (Artist), Tračuma, K. (Artist), Ricks, J. (Artist), Cherry, J. (Artist), Campbell, C. (Artist) & Marshall, K. (Artist) & 12 others, Boyle, M. (Artist), McMurray, G. (Artist), Watson, E. (Artist), Lyness, Z. (Artist), Watt, C. (Artist), Fairley, G. (Artist), Bhreathnach-Cashell, S. (Artist), Hendry, M. (Artist), King, P. &. N. (Artist), McKenna, D. (Artist), Braibant, E. (Artist) & Mahon, D. F. (Artist), 19 Jun 2021
Research output: Non-textual form › Exhibition

File

Cite this

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title = "Strange Apparitions: Amabie Project Part 1",

abstract = "Curated by Johanna Leech and Pollen Studios, invited artists were asked to reimagine the Japanese myth of the Amabie for 2020 pandemic Ireland. The Amabie is a mythical creature in Japanese culture; a long-haired, beaked merman who appears only to prophetize a coming epidemic or an abundant harvest. This artwork takes on the creature in the style of a 16th Century English pamphlet, a medium which acted as a way of cheaply and quickly disseminating information, propaganda in a pre-digital society. The pamphlet wars of the 16th century offer a mirror to the disinformation campaigns of the 21st Century, particularly acute during the Coronavirus pandemic. They also offer an example of crude mass visual communication, with emphasis on legibility over aesthetics. In this artwork, a group of well dressed men crowd around Armagh Cathedral, the seat of Protestant power in Ireland, pointing at the apparitions in the sky above it. These apparitions are designed to mimic both the coronavirus particle and the great comet of 1577.",

keywords = "pandemic, Japanese mythology, illustration, Japan-Ireland Exchange",

author = "Fionnuala Doran",

year = "2021",

month = jun,

day = "19",

language = "English",

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TY - ADVS

T1 - Strange Apparitions

T2 - Amabie Project Part 1

A2 - Doran, Fionnuala

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Y1 - 2021/6/19

N2 - Curated by Johanna Leech and Pollen Studios, invited artists were asked to reimagine the Japanese myth of the Amabie for 2020 pandemic Ireland. The Amabie is a mythical creature in Japanese culture; a long-haired, beaked merman who appears only to prophetize a coming epidemic or an abundant harvest. This artwork takes on the creature in the style of a 16th Century English pamphlet, a medium which acted as a way of cheaply and quickly disseminating information, propaganda in a pre-digital society. The pamphlet wars of the 16th century offer a mirror to the disinformation campaigns of the 21st Century, particularly acute during the Coronavirus pandemic. They also offer an example of crude mass visual communication, with emphasis on legibility over aesthetics. In this artwork, a group of well dressed men crowd around Armagh Cathedral, the seat of Protestant power in Ireland, pointing at the apparitions in the sky above it. These apparitions are designed to mimic both the coronavirus particle and the great comet of 1577.

AB - Curated by Johanna Leech and Pollen Studios, invited artists were asked to reimagine the Japanese myth of the Amabie for 2020 pandemic Ireland. The Amabie is a mythical creature in Japanese culture; a long-haired, beaked merman who appears only to prophetize a coming epidemic or an abundant harvest. This artwork takes on the creature in the style of a 16th Century English pamphlet, a medium which acted as a way of cheaply and quickly disseminating information, propaganda in a pre-digital society. The pamphlet wars of the 16th century offer a mirror to the disinformation campaigns of the 21st Century, particularly acute during the Coronavirus pandemic. They also offer an example of crude mass visual communication, with emphasis on legibility over aesthetics. In this artwork, a group of well dressed men crowd around Armagh Cathedral, the seat of Protestant power in Ireland, pointing at the apparitions in the sky above it. These apparitions are designed to mimic both the coronavirus particle and the great comet of 1577.

KW - pandemic

KW - Japanese mythology

KW - illustration

KW - Japan-Ireland Exchange

M3 - Artefact

ER -

Strange Apparitions: Amabie Project Part 1

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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Research output

Amabie Project

Cite this