THE NEST invites the people of Northern Ireland to create art on a massive scale through the simple act of donating an object. A multitude of items will be collected from the towns and villages of the nation and attached to a baggage label illustrating how they are connected to their donor. The objects will then be catalogued and assembled into a gigantic creation in Belfast by a team of artists and designers.
The resulting structure, THE NEST, will become the focal point for a large-scale music and choral event in 2012, composed, written and directed by Brian Irvine and John McIlduff - inspired and performed by the people of Northern Ireland.
With thousands of objects and hundreds of singing voices and musicians, THE NEST will be a far reaching, all embracing, sonic and sculptural landscape that examines and questions relationships between people and the things that we surround ourselves with - the things from which we make our own nests.
See the shortlisted entries for this region and read about the judging panel
Dumbworld lead artists are composer Brian Irvine and filmmaker/director John McIlduff.
Brian Irvine's huge body of work includes orchestral works, chamber music, operas, film scores as well as solo and ensemble pieces. His work has involved commissions and collaborations with many international artists ranging from opera companies and orchestras to filmmakers, choreographers, DJs and free improvisors.
He is currently the Associate Composer with the Ulster Orchestra and together with his own 12-piece ensemble, has conducted and performed all over the world and appeared at many international festivals to widespread critical acclaim. He has won a number of awards for his music including a British Composers Award for his opera The Tailor’s Daughter and a BBC Radio 3 Jazz Award.
John McIlduff is a writer/filmmaker and stage director. A graduate of Queen’s University, Belfast and L’École de Theatre Jacques Lecoq, has worked throughout Europe directing productions including an adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, a French language version of A Streetcar named Desire and the hugely successful Italian production, Mucche Ballerine. He has made films about fighting cows, pear trees and irresponsible parents which have been screened in festivals from Tehran to Clermont Ferrand, directed commercials for well known brands of washing powder and been awarded the Prix de Qualité from the CNC. As a writer John has written for both opera and soap opera most recently for the French television series Un Meilleur Monde.