Pallas Projects - ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ with Biddy Mulligan

‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ with Biddy Mulligan

Special event: Screening, with music by Lazarus Brother, 4-7pm Saturday 29th July.

Register here.
Gallery viewings: Thursday 27th July–Saturday 12th August during gallery hours.
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Pallas Projects/Studios are pleased to present ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ with Biddy Mulligan, the fifth exhibition of our 2023 Artist-Initiated Projects programme.

‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ will bring a motorcycle rally exhibition into the Pallas project space combining film, artwork, music, and bikers to create a happening of mayhem. The ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ is a socially-engaged project that involves twelve male members of the Freebirds Motorcycle Club from County Longford along with artist Brigid Mulligan who is a club member and little sister of the group. The project is based on the club members' shared histories and the communal effects of loss. Over the last twenty years, the club has lost three club members due to road traffic accidents.

The ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ will transform the Pallas gallery space into a motorcycle rally venue. This event will share an insight into motorcycle rally culture while inviting non-art communities to connect with artists in creative spaces for conversations about how we experience loss. All attendants will be asked to sign in and get a club stamp on their hand on the way into the gallery noting the distance travelled and club affiliation. As people arrive, the ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project's very own rock band Lazarus Brother will be blasting out classic heavy metal Covers.

The audience will be invited to sit and watch a screening of the short film ‘Freebirds’, co-created with the Freebirds M.C.C., Brigid Mulligan & Bruno Pierucci. The film will run in the gallery for the exhibition duration. ‘Freebirds’ gives a glimpse into the unseen side of Irish bikers in a rural community. The motorcycle club members share what being a biker means to them, their intimate perspectives on life and shared experiences of loss.

The exhibition will display the artwork created by the ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ in 2022. Wreaths fabricated from old motorcycle indicators and disc brakes gently flicker and symbolise alternative roadside shrines. The ceramic disc brakes created by Martha Williamson and co-designed with the club members contain personalised badges to pay tribute to each club member who has died. The club's archival wall will be placed in the gallery giving an insight into the community’s 25-year friendship, and share images of the wildness of youth. For the first time ever, this will be combined with a selection from the cyanotype series ‘A Portrait of a Life Trough Belonging’ that responds and connects with the ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ work. The cyanotype prints act as an archive to a life lived, made up of a collection of things Mulligan’s brother once owned; Helmet, Gloves and Leather jacket—life-sized cyanotype prints will be placed at considered locations within the gallery. The hope is that sharing this collaborative project could benefit grieving communities in Ireland today by diminishing the isolation of grief.

Special event: 4-7pm Saturday 29th July
Screening with music by Lazarus Brother
Please register here.

Brigid Mulligan’s collaborative practice involves using art as a medium to tackle complex subjects like the experience of grief. ‘The Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ involved collaborating with twelve male members of Freebird’s Motorcycle club from county Longford across various artforms including film, archiving and sculptural installation. The ‘Freebirds M.C.C. Project’ focused on taking time to look back at the motorcycle clubs shared histories and the significant loss of three club members due to road traffic accidents. The result was a 35 minute film screening & exhibition at the Backstage theatre Longford & an Taibhdhearc theatre Galway 2022. Mulligan holds a Master-in-creative Practice & First-Class Honours Degree in Fine Art Sculpture from ATU Galway. Recent awards include Irish Hospice Foundation, Seed Grant 2022, the Pilot Mentor Scheme Award 2022, the Project Realisation Award 2021, R&D, Artist in the community award, 2021 from Create collaborative arts and the Arts Council of IRE.