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Susan Thomson

November 12, 2009 — November 15, 2009

Fire Practice Theatre

Opening Thursday November 12th, 6-9pm
Exhibition Continues through Sunday Nov 15th, open 2-7pm daily

Written and directed by Susan Thomson Director of Photography Piers McGrail
Actors Joseph Paul Travers, David Coakley, Elga Fox Sound design Sven Anderson
The film is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland

Residing somewhere between fiction and documentary, this two screen film shows firefighters practising their skills on a tall purpose built house in a fire station. This is depicted as if it were a piece of theatre, a rehearsal or ritual in a theatre where only one play is performed. There are different levels of fiction. A script is performed by actors playing firefighters; lines are swapped, dramatically forgotten and a scene arrives early. The house is unlived-in, sinister, the piece reminiscent of a psyche where trauma and desire are endlessly replayed.

Susan Thomson is an artist and writer originally from Scotland. She holds an M.A. in Visual Arts Practices from IADT, Dublin a degree in Modern Languages from Cambridge University and a Masters in European Literature from Oxford University. She has performed and exhibited her work at venues in Europe and beyond including the UK National Review of Live Art, the International Video Art festivals of Alcoi and Valencia, Spain and X Initiative, New York. She has written for books and publications including Circa, The Times and Women’s News and has received a number of Visual Arts bursaries, including a South Dublin County Council Award (2003), an Arts Council New Work Award (2008), and Culture Ireland Award (2009) www.susanthomson.co.uk