SoundEye Festival facts for kids
The SoundEye Festival is a fun annual event in Cork City, Ireland. It's a special festival that celebrates poetry and other cool art forms. Imagine a place where words come alive through readings, performances, and unique art!
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What is the SoundEye Festival?
The SoundEye Festival is a yearly gathering for people who love words and art. It brings together poets and artists from different places. They share their creative work with audiences in Cork City.
Where and When Does it Happen?
This exciting festival takes place every year in Cork City. It usually happens over several days. You can find it in late June or mid-July. Events are held in interesting places around the city. These include venues like the Guesthouse and Firkin Crane. In 2017, more than 20 poets shared their work at the festival.
What Kind of Art Can You See?
SoundEye is known for showing new and experimental poetry. But it's not just about reading poems! The festival also includes many other art forms. You might see video art, live performances, and even sound poetry. Sound poetry uses the sounds of words, not just their meaning. There's also conceptual art, which focuses on ideas. The festival hosts poets from Ireland and other countries where English is spoken. Sometimes, poets from countries where English is not the main language also visit.
The Story of SoundEye Festival
Every great festival has a beginning. SoundEye was started by a talented poet named Trevor Joyce. He also helped create a publishing company called New Writers Press way back in 1967.
How Did the Festival Begin?
Trevor Joyce lives in the Shandon area of Cork. In the 1990s, he was invited to a big meeting about literature in the United States. After that trip, he started planning the first festival. He first called it the 'Cork Alternative Poetry Festival'. This was the start of something special for Cork City.
Growing and Changing Over Time
In 2005, the festival got some important funding. This money came from the European Capital of Culture program. It helped SoundEye work with other art events happening at the same time. A person named Fergal Gaynor helped with this. He was also helping to organize another big event called the Cork Caucus.
Later, in 2010, two poets named James Cummins and Rachel Warriner got involved. They had already planned a part of the festival linked to their magazine, Default. They then took on more of the festival's organizing jobs. This helped SoundEye continue to grow and bring new ideas to its audience.
