Danny McCarthy | Haunted By Silence

The Vaults @ Lavit Gallery

26 June – 20 July 2024

The sound installation Haunted By Silence stems from hours the artist has spent “just listening” in the church of St Marys Abbey Glencairn, County Waterford. In the evenings when the Abbey Church heating system is turned off the wood in the building begins to contract causing various sounds to occur in different parts of the church. These sounds occur totally at random, sometimes loud and sometimes quiet and coming from so many directions that one is unable to predict when and from where they will occur. Considering it to be the best sound installation he has ever heard McCarthy was in a quandary as to how to replicate something similar in an art gallery context. Using field recordings from Glencairn and other sounds created by the artist in his studio, the installation Haunted By Silence occupies the intimate environment of the vaults at Lavit Gallery. Using the unique architecture of the spaces, and low lighting, sounds are dislocated and sporadic, replicating the phenomenon in the church. Listening and silence have been at the core of McCarthy’s practice for a long time. His last major show ar the Crawford Gallery Beyond Silence - A Bell Rings In An Empty Sky met with considerable critical success and with this new installation he continues to expand his listening practice and share some his experiences with his audience through the medium of sound art.

Danny McCarthy studied at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. He currently lectures in Sound Art, Listening, Improvisation and Experimental Practice in the School of Music, Film and Drama, UCC as well as being a visiting lecturer and workshop facilitator in other institutions. He has pioneered both performance art and sound art in Ireland and he continues to be a leading exponent exhibiting and performing both in Ireland and abroad. His work is in the collections of the Arts Council of Ireland, Crawford Art Gallery, Irish National Collection and Limerick City Gallery and numerous other public and private collections in Ireland and abroad.

He has exhibited and performed widely in Europe, USA, Canada, China, Japan, Poland and other countries. He is a founder director of Triskel Arts Centre and the National Sculpture Factory