JIM RICKS

The Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen
A touring public artwork by Jim Ricks
June 2011
The Aughty regions of County Galway

Official launch: June 7th, 2011, 9:00 am at The Huntsman Inn, Galway

Solstice bounce delayed 2 days til Thursday the 23rd due to forecasts of rain.

“The best public art piece... ever.” 

– Alice Maher, Artist

"We need to start thinking more creatively about public art. Jim Ricks has. On Tuesday he launches Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen in Galway. The public artwork, which toured Galway and Clare last summer, will travel around the Slieve Aughty region for two weeks before appearing close to the real Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren on June 21— the summer solstice. Ricks, a Californian artist, describes it as “a bouncy replica, at twice the scale of the famous 6,000-year-old megalithic portal tomb". It is commentary on our past, our present, the concept of "brand Ireland" and the very idea of public art; and everyone is invited to bounce.

A temporary, moveable, witty, interactive, contemporary public artwork we are invited to play with? Maher has endorsed it as “the best public art piece…ever". She might just be right."

– Christín Leach, The Sunday Times

“The artist has combined an icon of ancient Ireland with an icon of contemporary Ireland, playfully re-presenting elements of Irish culture, often over-used commercially to attract tourism, in an accessible, witty, and visually arresting way.”

– Kernan Andrews, Galway Advertiser

The Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen by Jim Ricks is a monumental inflatable sculpture designed for members of the public, of all ages, to interact with.  The artwork will be touring venues around the Aughty Region of County Galway during June of 2011. The Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen is a replica, at twice the scale, famous 6,000 year old megalithic portal tomb of the same name, which is located in the Burren, Co. Clare.  Jim Ricks created the interactive soft sculpture with the intention of bringing a portal dolmen to Aughty, a region which has no dolmens, only wedge tombs.

The official launch of The Poulnabrone Bouncy Dolmen will be on June 7th, 2011 in front of the Huntsman Inn in Galway. The piece will be set up first thing in the morning (weather permitting!) followed by a small reception at 9am. It will be touring the Slieve Aughty region of Galway for 2 weeks. The tour will close with an afternoon appearance adjacent to the real Poulnabrone Dolmen in the Burren, on the June 21st solstice.

Jim Ricks’ practice is characterised by challenges and disruptions to ownership, intellectual property rights and any conception of originality. As such, he openly imitates art and life through available means and materials. This process embraces creativity through divergence and welcomes the accidents that occur in the ‘knock off’ process as the (automatic) art itself. The work also frequently explore the grey area between flattery and theft. Ricks’ work is influenced by his background as a prolific graffiti artist and a political activist.

Born in California, Jim Ricks received his MFA from the National University of Ireland, Galway and Burren College of Art programme and his BFA from the California College of the Arts. He has exhibited internationally, most recently with with The Black Mariah for the Terminal Convention, Cork, and at What are You Thinking?, The Niland Gallery, Galway. In 2010 he received the Artlink ‘New Art Award’; exhibited at the Royal Hibernian Academy (Dublin); had solo shows at Fort Dunree (Co. Donegal), Occupy Space (Limerick) and Pallas Contemporary Projects (Dublin); took part in group shows with Dock Discourse at 126 and offsite (Galway), The Galway Arts Festival (Galway), Monster Truck Temple Bar (Dublin) and Pallas Contemporary Projects (Dublin).  In 2009 he exhibited in the Galway Arts Centre (Galway), Monster Truck Gallery (Dublin), IMOCA (Dublin) and participated in Frieze Projects’ COPYSTAND: Autonomous Manufacturing Zone (London). Ricks is currently working on the touring public work In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth), a collaboration with Cause Collective (US) in 2011.

Supported by the Galway County Council, the Clare County Council Arts Office, Ground Up Artists Collective, The Huntsman Inn and Eight Bar and Restaurant.

For more information about the artist please see: www.jimricks.info

To see the Bouncy Dolmen in action please visit us here.
Read what the Irish Times says about it here.
Read what the Galway Advertiser says about it here.
Check it out on publicart.ie here.
Share the event on Facebook here.

Photo courtesy of Dave Ruffles

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