Callan Powerhouse … a new story for an old building
Welcoming 5th class students from Cun Scoil Mcauley to The Powerhouse Open House on Friday 26th May 2023. Photograph by Luke Brabazon
In January 2023 I began work as a consultant with a consortium of arts organisations in Callan in County Kilkenny. As part of this many stranded project, I was asked to work with the consortium’s lead partner, Trasna Productions, on supporting the development of a new creative and cultural space for the town. Over the last several years, Trasna had with support from Kilkenny LEADER Partnership, Kilkenny County Council and Clann Credo - Community Loan Finance, renovated part of the old Callan Bacon Factory on Mill Lane at the heart of the town, adjacent to the KCAT Arts Centre. The newly refurbished creative space, is being called The Powerhouse, as before becoming a bacon factory, the building had housed a locally run anthracite fuelled electrical generator, supplying electricity to the town before the arrival of the ESB, and before that it had been the site of a watermill.
In discussion with Trasna, it was decided to begin this new phase in the life of this old building with a two-day “Open House” event, inviting members of the local community, including artists, community groups, children and young people, to suggest ways the space could be used to enhance the lives of people living in and around Callan. My role was to curate and produce the event.
Members of Callan Heritage Society sharing stories about The Powerhouse building. Photography by Luke Brabazon
The Open House took place over a busy week in late May. During this time the building was visited by over 300 people, all of whom were invited to share with us ideas for the use of The Powerhouse. Among the many suggestions were calls for creative writing workshops, reading groups, youth drama, opportunities to dance, exhibitions, band rehearsal space, film screenings, and youth circus training. My work with Trasna over the coming months will be looking through the ideas received to see what is possible and how best they can be delivered.
In addition to the public consultation, The Powerhouse Open House invited the public to attend and participate in a series of programmed events that included dance, painting, singing, printing, drama, and discussions. One of the first events on the Friday morning was a visit from Bun Scoil Mcauley Rice 5th class students who had agreed to take part in a “song and dance exchange”. For this the students had prepared a few tunes to perform, after which, they were taught a ‘Tic Tok style’ dance by dance artist Cindy Cummings, which she called the “Callan Haka”. Later in the day, Cindy, joined by Brianna Hurley, performed a mesmerising improvised post-modern dance piece.
Michelle McMahon helps a young visitor with her screen printing.
Photograph Luke Brabazon
Over the Friday and Saturday The Powerhouse hosted a number of rich discussions. Members of the Callan Heritage Society shared stories about the history of The Powerhouse building stretching back to the 15th century, when it is thought the first mill was established on the site by monks as part of a significant monastic settlement in the area. The importance of the river in the history of the town of Callan, was also central to the discussion with the local fishermen on the Saturday morning. The current sorry state of the river, problems with silting, build-up of algae and diminishing fish life were all discussed, as were possible actions that could be taken to expedite remedial work to improve water quality and flow. The Open House also hosted local artists Asylum Theatre and Etaoin Holohan, talking about their current artistic projects and their resonances in the locale.
Maurice, Brianna and Fintan getting help with the collaborative painting
Photograph by Luke Brabazon
The Saturday afternoon saw the main room of the Powerhouse taken over with a flurry of creative activity. The invitation to the public to screen print a tote bag was so popular, printmaker Michele McMahon had no respite, as she graciously helped the constant traffic of participants through the process; even obliging several enthusiastic teenagers, design and cut their own screen printing stencils. Sharing the room with Michele, were the artists trio of Maurice Caplice, Fintan Kelly and Brianna Hurley, who invited the public to help them create a large scale triptych acrylic painting. With over 30 people of all ages participating, this stunning work was completed in around 90 minutes.
Four young visitors working diligently to finish the collaborative painting.
Photograph by Luke Brabazon
Sitting in the building on my own on the Saturday evening after the last of the visitors had left, I reflected on the richness of the week, which had gathered together young and old in creative engagement and conversation, revealing and celebrating past lives of the building while at the same time giving birth to a new story. Where once the watermills created power to feed the town, artistic activity was now nurturing community engagement. In just two days we had witnessed local children bravely standing up before their class to perform tunes on banjo and mandolin; dancer Cindy Cummings recounting the theories of Martha Graham and John Cage as she danced with Brianna and the ‘silence’; the focus and determination of teenagers designing their own screen-printing stencils; and the flurry of collaborative creativity that had created the extraordinary abstract triptych. Such a diversity of activity and engagement suggested to me that The Powerhouse building, which has played such a vital part in the history of the town, will in its new guise as community-led gallery and performance space continue as a place of nourishment.
Photograph Luke Brabazon