FREE THOUGHT FM

Open Call Award - € 198,476

The Douglas Hyde Gallery presented a radical new project entitled FREE THOUGHT FM by artist Garrett Phelan. FREE THOUGHT FM interrogated the notion of ‘free thought’ in one of Ireland’s major cultural and educational settings, The Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity College Dublin. It used the gallery as a public space, a bastion of free expression, conversation, thought and communication, but it also spread far beyond its walls.

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It consisted of a large scale marketing campaign, Vinyl Wall Drawings, printed publications etc. At the heart of FREE THOUGHT FM was a 30-day live broadcast of conversations in the gallery between the artists Garrett Phelan, invited FREE THINKERS and members of the public. These conversations opened up the critical and often hidden issues of class inequality and inequality of access to education in the Dublin region.

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FREE THOUGHT FM broadcast LIVE from the DHG from Monday 25 March until Tuesday 23 April 2019 on 105.2FM (Greater Dublin area only), and nationally/internationally online at www.freethoughtfm.com.

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Garrett Phelan

Garrett Phelan is an artist that continues to develop a distinctive practice through ambitious, site-specific projects that include; Independent FM radio broadcasts, sculptural installations, photography, drawing, animations, film, publications and text ephemera. Recent solo exhibitions and commissions include; FREE THOUGHT FM, DHG, (2019); I HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE SO NEAR, National Gallery of Ireland (2018); THE HIDE PROJECT, commission, Fingal County Council, Dublin (2017); HEED FM, commission, ART:2016, Arts Council, Dublin (2016); A VOODOO FREE PHENOMENOM, Project Arts Centre, Dublin (2015).

Artist(s)

Garrett Phelan

Dates

14 March 2019 - 25 May 2019

Partners

The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin

Further Information

https://freethoughtfm.bandcamp.com/

UPDATES

Future Plans

A book entitled ‘THERE ARE BETTER WAYS, CLASS, EDUCATION AND FREE THOUGHT FM is now 2 years in the making, is designed by UNTHINK and is to be published in Nov 2021. A number texts have been commissioned for the book from, Kathleen Lynch, Ellen Rolley, Sarah Pierce, Rachel O’Dwyer, Gerry Kearns and Liam Wegimont. The book also features an in depth interview with the artist and Georgina Jackson regarding the project.

A full audio archive that is freely available to the public exists at https://freethoughtfm.bandcamp.com/ .

Legacy

The impact of receiving the Open Call award to realise FREE THOUGHT FM has developed my practice significantly. It has given me the increased confidence in my abilities to manage major projects of scale, innovation, experimentation and ambition. The open call award assisted me in developing my unique template of working with contributors through FM/Online radio performances, public marketing platforms, gallery exhibitions etc.

FREE THOUGHT FM has been influential in both the educational and art environments. FREE THOUGHT FM has built a large contact/agency base which has become a considerable valuable asset for future projects of a similar nature. Another aspect of the legacy of the project is the information held within the ‘FREE THOUGHT FM MARKETING AUDIENCE REPORT’, existing as part of the art work, this report was commissioned at the end and was produced by marketing agency THINKHOUSE and sent to THE ARTS COUNCIL.

Ultimately the legacy of the FREE THOUGHT FM artwork is its dedicated material and digital audio archive. The audio archive is freely available at https://freethoughtfm.bandcamp.com/ . The FREE THOUGHT FM publication is produced in limited edition hardcopy and digital form. It will be lunched and freely distributed to all concerned parties in late 2021.

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon

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FREE THOUGHT FM

Open Call Award - € 198,476

Garrett Phelan

UPDATES

Future Plans

Legacy

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