‘9 Dumb Acts at the location of the Irish Glass Bottle site in Dublin Docklands’ sees the artist wear a Dunce’s hat, and enact a series of lame, ‘dumb’ poses on the site of the Dublin Docklands bottle recycling plant. The 9 photographs represent 9 acts possible on one roll of medium format film, and the grid-like display references the legacy of conceptual practices from the late 1960s – 1970s. The work questions the role of artistic practice in the face of an overwhelming social and global political dynamic. Central to the very public meltdown in Irish finances in the economic crash, the Dublin Docklands debacle became a metaphor for the wheelings and dealings of Irish politics and its inevitable effect on its citizens. ‘9 Dumb Acts…’ is a gesture which is part performance, part protest, part a display of the feeling powerlessness of ordinary people.
McAree has produced several new series of photographs under the general title of ‘Dumb Acts’ – which sees the artist in the studio and in the landscape, performing a series of pointless tasks in the investigation of artistic practice and meaning. This can take the form of a series of silly poses in the landscape, in sites of recent political or social tension.
