Maria Schweppe and Tom Lawlor, co-director’s of the Bram Stoker Festival, is looking forward to continue the celebration of one of Ireland’s acclaimed writers, Bram Stoker.
When you mention Dracula, what comes to mind? Perhaps Transylvanian castles, shape shifting bats and fang baring vampires – but one Dublin civil servant does not. Bram Stoker, the Irish author of Dracula, has been celebrated for the last ten years in the lead up to Hallowe’en as part of the Bram Stoker Festival here in Dublin.
“Stoker’s legacy has permeated pop-culture globally for more than a century.”
The Bram Stoker Festival is a way of celebrating Stoker’s most famous work and allows Dublin to recognise the infamous creation of one of its historic citizens. Maria Schweppe, one of the co-directors of the Bram Stoker Festival tells us why she thinks it’s important for Dublin to celebrate his legacy. “Stoker’s legacy has permeated pop-culture globally for more than a century. His creation has lived on and been adapted countless times across every imaginable genre. We think it’s important to recognise this legacy in the city which shaped the author; his home town, which has proven its affection for Stoker year on year at the festival!”
As an island with a rich literary history, lesser known writers can be overlooked, but Tom Lawlor, also the festival’s co-director, mentions the resurgence of recognition for Stoker’s work that the festival has helped to cultivate. “I think for a time Stoker was lost among the most famous of Dublin’s literary heroes but the festival has helped to reclaim him as an Irish, and particularly a Dublin, writer. His legacy is an interesting one and I think one which is only growing. From his signature in the visitor book in Marsh’s Library to the ever-popular debates about the influence the Irish language and the famine had on his work, we’re only properly starting to cement Stoker’s place in Dublin’s literary legacy.”
The figure of Dracula does not fail to capture audiences’ imaginations and this year the festival has a number of events running this long weekend, from Friday 29th until Monday 31st, which will delight and terrify in equal measure. A constant for the last few years has been Stokerland, which takes place under the shadow of St.Patrick Cathedral’s Gothic Spire. “What started off as a small, one-afternoon event for 1000 people in 2015 has grown into a three day event in St. Patrick’s Park which welcomes more than 20,000 people every year! Over time, it’s become important to families because it’s free, high-quality, considered entertainment at the end of the mid-term!” Maria is looking forward to Dreamgun Des Dracula, which takes place on Hallowe’en Night in the O’Reilly Theatre. “This commission is something I’ve wanted to see happen for years and it’s finally happening! I can almost guarantee that this will be the gassest thing taking place this Hallowe’en night!”
The festival’s stand out event is expected to be BOREALIS, and Tom is looking forward to it; “I can’t wait to get thousands of Dubliners gathered once again for a spectacle like this! It has wowed audiences worldwide and I know Dubliners will be equally impressed.” Borealis is an internationally renowned light installation by artist Dan Acher that is inspired by the Northern and Southern Lights. Acher, considered an artivist, is passionate about creating art that raises awareness around social issues and impacts social change. “Art and activism have long intermingled to tackle society’s big issues but more recently the term artivism has gained traction as the catchword for a form of art specifically produced to generate social change. For me it’s about using accessible and universal art to a) bridge divides, and b) make people aware of some of the key issues of our time: climate breakdown, social isolation, mental health and wellbeing.”
Acher’s work is focused in urban centres and intends to create a sense of community and connection in societies which may have become disconnected, despite city dwellers living in such close proximity to one another. The inspiration for his work comes from the ordinary. “I’m inspired by both the small, everyday moments, and the more extra-ordinary ones, that make us feel like we belong, like we’re part of something bigger than our individual self. I’m interested in what triggers these feelings and in trying to recreate these triggers and emotions at scale for thousands of people.” These emotions act as a vehicle for connection and hopefully change as the climate crisis is something that is clearly an underlying theme in Acher’s work, “as world citizens on a shared planet we have to look out for our home and for each other. My installations aim to reflect this in an aesthetic and immersive way.”
BOREALIS is sure to create a connection amongst its viewers, as the recreation of nature’s magnificent light display intends to remind us of our human insignificance and the immateriality of our differences when confronted with the immersive experience that emulates one of the earth’s greatest natural phenomena. Acher reflects on what he hopes BOREALIS will bring to Dublin: “Societies across the ages have attributed many legends to the Northern and Southern Lights; human beings have long been brought together in awe before their mysterious beauty. BOREALIS touches on this ancestral relationship with nature – and the fact that today this relationship is fraught: climate is rapidly changing due to excessive human activity, and geoengineering (the deliberate large-scale intervention in the Earth’s natural systems to counteract climate change) is being discussed as a solution to global warming. We have to think hard about the consequences of such an endeavour and act urgently for our collective future on this planet.”
There is no doubt that BOREALIS will bring something special to this year’s Bram Stoker Festival and it is also significant that audiences are able to attend events across the city. Both Maria and Tom are most excited about this: “We really missed it in 2020, when the festival was presented but everything took place in the audience’s home. The magic of producing festivals is only really complete when you’re live, with an audience, at an entirely new event, hearing the audience’s excitement and feeling that electric buzz in the air!”
The Bram Stoker Festival is taking place this weekend from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st.
For more information on the festival check out the BRam Stoker Festival’s Instagram and Facebook:
@bramstokerdub on instagram & twitter
fb.com/bramstokerdublin on Facebook
For more information on Dan Acher and his artwork, as well as his initiative Happy City Lab, check out dan-acher.com and his social media.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_acher/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dan.acher
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dan_Acher
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danacher/
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