Unit

Unit is an artists project, devised by Sarah Searson, investigates seen and unseen cultural aspects of Portlaoise. The project has a unusual structure, three curators (Padraic E Moore,Cliodhna Shaffrey and Sally Timmons) will select three artists to make new work in relation / re/action to Portlaosie and its immediate surrounds. The selected artists will be invited to consider aspects of everyday life, and will form a project that will emerge to support a range of works. The project will ask artists to spend time working within the physical and material sphere of the town, exploring its social, economic and geographical contexts.

Just as a unit is part of the wider social context, and unit also represent a single undivided aspect occurring in the composition of something else, connected and apart. It is expected that the work of the project will respond in ways characteristic to the artists existing practice, and will work in relation to their interests and ultimate that of a wider public.

So for example Unit may explore the social implications of an economic turn are that is unveiling an a social underbelly that may be interesting to push-off and re-act to...The idea behind "unit" is division, singularity, grouping and so on....

The project will be launched in October 2008