Weft Studio Group - Participants Announced
The participating artists in the Weft Studio have been selected. The shortlist of 14 participants was selected from an open call application earlier this summer and we are thrilled to announce the fantastic artists taking part.
The Weft Studio artists are:
Alessandra Azevedo, Aisha Bolaji, Nell Hensey, Shiva R. Joyce, Brigid Leahy, Jeanne Nicole Ní Áinle, Dafe Orugbo, Jagruti Rathod, Ro Samhain, Suzie Seweify, CN Smith, Onai Tafuma and Samuel Yakura.
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Aisha Bolaji is co-founder and head of the visual arts team at the GALPAL Collective. She is currently studying Film & TV Production at the National Film School, IADT. As a storyteller she wants to explore themes of identity, femininity and heritage as well as putting an emphasis on Black joy.
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Alessandra Azevedo is an Afro-Brazilian dancer, Capoeira performer & instructor from Salvador, Bahia – home to the largest African diaspora population & Afro-Brazilian culture. Alessandra is driven by the potential of her heritage to lead cross-cultural collaborations. Her practise is rooted in body movement to promote community building and cultural growth in Ireland.
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Nell Hensey is a 23-year old Filipino-Irish filmmaker, writer and director from County Clare. She is particularly interested in telling stories that centre on the female experience and explore themes of coming-of-age. Organisations she has received funding and support from include the Arts Council and Engine Short Film Scheme.
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Shiva R. Joyce is a writer & printmaker exploring the ethno-ecological, intersectional and non-temporally-fixed. Her most current work, entitled GriefTrails, was a pareidolic lament of temporary street art through Cork City. With Weft, she seeks to learn with and from others who restore essential narratives so often pushed to the periphery.
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Brigid Leahy is a Vietnamese-Irish-American actor from California. Credits include As Luck Would Have It (Hallmark Channel), Smother (Treasure Entertainment/BBC Studios), Avenue 5 (HBO), Familiar (Fremantle), and Can’t Cope Won’t Cope (Deadpan Pictures). She holds degrees in History from UCLA and Trinity College. She is represented by Nolan Muldoon Agency.
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Jeanne Nicole Ní Áinle is an Irish-Ivorian actor from Dublin, who has experience acting for stage and screen in English and as Gaeilge. Recently, performing in a project marking Field Day’s 40th anniversary and in Me, Mollser at the Abbey Theatre. Jeanne has an interest in exploring physical theatre, owing to their study of mime and movement at Inchicore college.
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One of Ireland’s most creative and forward-thinking musicians, Dafe Orugbo has achieved international acclaim as one half of hip-hop duo Tebi Rex as well developing Word Up Collective’s educational and cultural production programmes. He writes on topics ranging from modern day Ireland to Greek mythology and is an experienced public speaker, live performer, writer, spoken word artist and podcaster.
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Jagruti Rathod started comedy in 2019 after spending years keenly sitting in the front row at comedy shows, always hoping to be picked for the craic! Jag has performed at numerous events around Ireland and the UK, including Nollaig na mBan at the Epic Centre, Whelans, and the Leicester Comedy Festival.
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Ro Samhain is a 22-year old writer, activist and organiser from Dublin. They were brought up by their Mam in Clondalkin who instilled a love of writing, art and reading from a young age and Ro has carried that love throughout life. Drawn to aesthetics, visuals and theatre, Ro is thrilled to be working on this new project with deadly people. Creating art that imitates life and is heavily inspired by their experiences and daydreams, Ro hopes to create something really beautiful.
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Suzie Seweify is an Egyptian-Irish actor, born in Bahrain and raised in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2018. She was last seen on stage in her one-woman show Yara, as part of the Scene and Heard festival. Prior to this, she played leading lady Princess Jasmine in The Gaiety Theatre panto Aladdin. Most recently, she was one of the 14 artists chosen for The Abbey Theatre's Engine Room project.
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CN Smith is a playwright from County Louth. He is an inaugural member of Smock Alley’s Baptiste Programme. He is also a recipient of Patricia Leggett Playwriting Scholarship, as part of the Lir Academy’s MFA in Playwriting.
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Onai Tafuma is 22 years old and from Drogheda. A dancer, creative and aspiring creative director, Onai has been immersed in the creative world from very young, and is very passionate about the arts in Ireland. Onai's goal is to use passion and talent to help inspire other young creatives like them and help build a beautiful creative community here in Ireland.
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Samuel Yakura is a Nigerian-born writer, poet, and performing artist. A multiple award-winning slam champion both in Nigeria & Ireland and a member of the WeareGriot Collective, he has done collaborative works for Poetry Ireland, Dublin Fringe Festival and the Gaisce Awards, amongst others. His work reflects deeply on the serving complexity of the human condition.