Munster Express Online

On Friday next (May 15th) in the Greyfriars’ Municipal Gallery in the city, a showcase will be held to premier the videos and DVD created by local talent in a unique ‘Artbeat’ project.

Over the past two months, 13 of Waterford’s area premier musical and film talents have worked together under the guidance of Waterford City Council’s arts office to promote their exceptional work.

The product of this labour is an hour-long DVD, featuring a video of each of the bands. Working with the film crew of Amy Kirwan and Will Molloy, each artist devised a film script and shooting schedule aimed at attaining the highest quality finished product available.

The young local crew has been all over the city and county filming catching rare shots or simply putting a new slant on familiar landmarks in the area, to achieve something not done before in Waterford, or infact many parts of Ireland.

The crew shot in locations varying from Newtown Woods, Victoria House in Ferrybank, Greyfriars Municipal Gallery, Suir Valley Steam Engine in Kilmeaden, Barrack St. Band Hall, Downes’ Pub, Electric Avenue (Waterford’s premier live music venue) and Waterford Youth Drama’s rooms in the old military barracks.

The completion and premiering of the DVD is just the beginning of this unique project, which is not being replicated in any other part of Ireland.

The aim of the project is to highlight the talents of not just the thriving music scene in Waterford, but also the young filmmakers in the city and the creative thinking of all.

Each participant band or musician are set to perform a Saturday evening gig in the recently refurbished Blackfriars’ Centre in the city centre in the coming months to back up the DVD and their video while also increasing their profile.

More information on the project can be found at the projects’ Facebook page ‘Artbeat Films and Gigs’, the Artbeat Myspace page, or by calling into Greyfriars’ Municipal Centre.