V I S U A L

This €18 million development is sadly one of the few remarkable buildings to emerge from the glory days of the Celtic Tiger. Carlow’s VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art & The George Bernard Shaw Theatre is a multi-disciplinary arts facility designed by renowned British architect - Terry Pawson.

Pawson won the open international competition held by the RIAI in 2004, for which there were over 100 expressions of interest. VISUAL boasts an area of 3,130m², comprising four principle gallery spaces, a 300 seat performing arts theatre, a restaurant, bar and spaces for a craft and a book shop. It’s rather lovely so if you’re ever in the area be sure to swing by for a nosey.

Unique to Ireland, the building features an expansive gallery space with a ceiling height of 12m to accommodate large-scale sculpture and installation, the scale of which has (supposedly) not been easily accommodated in Ireland to date.

Pawson describes the building eloquently as “an assembly of different sized volumes clad in opaque glass raised on a concrete plinth….The muteness of the opaque glass harmonises with the neutral grey of the town’s local limestone. “

We can attest to this wonderful soft light, which alters over the course of the day and projects a more exuberant glow come nightfall. The ‘white box’ gallery spaces are linked by a landscape of exposed concrete. Wall surfaces have been cast against a textured board which at this time support an exhibition of more than 100 pieces that illustrate the breadth and longevity of celebrated architect, designer and artist - Patrick Scott.

The robust industrial quality of the Visual coupled with the works displayed in ‘Image Space Light’ lent itself perfectly as the backdrop to our first summer shoot of 2014. We chose an understated palette of pale blues, navy and white. Culottes have been and remain firmly on our radar as the perfect middle-ground for smart summer dressing.

Thank you kindly to the Visual, to Arnotts for supplying the beautiful clothes for this shoot and to Coldlilies for the wonderful jewellery. Items listed are available from Arnotts Department Store at 12 Henry Street, Dublin 1.

All styling and photography is our own.

Ciana wears:

Tambi Blouse by Goat
Culottes by Lennon Courtney
Doris Day Knit by Lennon Courtney

Becky wears:

Orla Kiely dress
Zara mules
H&M Trench

Ciana wears:

Jessika Oversized Dress by D.Efect
Sliders by Schuh

Becky wears:

Shirt Dress by Lennon Courtney
Zara mules

Ciana wears:

White Blazer by Tara Jarmon
Navy Culottes by Tara Jarmon
Sliders (as before)

Hallowed Be Thy Name

From one notable North Dublin institution to another we chose to shoot our favourite pieces from the Arnott's Autumn Winter Collections '13 in Sutton's landmark church, the parish of Saint Fintan. It was completed in 1973 to a design by architect Andy Devane of Robinson Keefe Devane. 

Both Robinson and Keefe died in 1965, but the practice which bears their names has continued to flourish. Some of their more recognisable contemporary projects include the Guinness Storehouse and Gravity Bar, the Quinn School of Business at UCD,  as well as renovations to the Odeon and Dakota Bars in Dublin.

The church walls are clad in textured concrete and the formwork appears to have been made from fisherman's rope to reflect its maritime setting. This curious effect adds a richness to its surface and roots the structure firmly in this captivating coastal landscape. We also noticed evidence of shells in the concrete which may have been used as aggregate, collected from the nearby shoreline. 

The church building is entered through a large atrium which acts as a transition from the outside to the interior of the church. This threshold space contains the impressive church bell tower, which has a distinct presence in the low-rise suburban neighbourhood surrounding it. 

The interior of the church is fan-shaped and has an open sanctuary space. The undulating copper roof rises to the Crown of the Sanctuary, which is lit in shafts from the slats above. 

This kind of 70's modernism is well suited to the looks we have chosen for the forthcoming season which sees a return to retro inspired tailoring and soft silhouettes. The ambiguity between masculine and feminine is a continuing theme in recent seasons and the contrasting continues for Autumn Winter '13.

Coats for this season are easily identified by their cocooning silhouette and dropped shoulder lines. Ciana's first look from Missoni has a minimalist feel with simple, clean lines and emphasis given to texture and a strong geometric print.  The oversized knit coat is worn over a green tweed dress paired with on-trend perspex heeled shoes.

Becky's first look comprises an eye-catching red coat, from luxury English label Goat. Its smooth contours and petal hemline  create a timeless silhouette which is flattering to all figures. This is paired with tailored pencil trousers and accessorised with patent treasures - the ladylike Pollyanna bag from Lulu Guinness and suede mix ankle boots from Hobbs.

Next we chose two key coats for the season; a boxy trench from Love Moschino (worn by Becky), coupled with tailored brocade trousers in a geometric print, to add texture and detail. This look is completed with iconic two-tone patent brogues from Hobbs.

Finally, Ciana wears a classic navy collarless coat, belted at the waist from Twenty8Twelve. Styled with check trousers from Love Moschino, the most perfect patent, burgundy brogues plus a cross body bag from Hobbs.

Thank you kindly to Arnotts for supplying the beautiful clothes for this shoot. All items are available from Arnotts Department Store at 12 Henry Street, Dublin 1.

Don't forget you can vote for Concrete Collar here to win Best Blog Post in the Blog Awards Ireland 2013. It's a one click stop so please vote for us if you have 20 seconds to spare! We have 5 nominated posts in this category so simply choose your favourite. 

All styling and photography is our own.

Ciana wears:
First Look 
Green tweed dress and knit coat by Missoni
Perspex heeled 'Aster' shoes by KG Kurt Geiger
Concrete Collar's own sunglasses

Becky wears:

First Look
'Redgrave' crepe coat by Goat
'Rocky' black pencil trousers by Goat
'Alberta' ankle boots by Hobbs
'Mid Pollyanna' patent black bag by Lulu Guinness

Second Look:
Camel coat cape by Love Moschino
Cream silk blouse by Tara Jarmon
'Geo' trousers by Tara Jarmon
'Agatha' black navy brogues by Hobbs

Ciana wears:

Second Look
'Lombard' navy coat by Twenty8Twelve
Cream check trousers by Love Moschino
'Agatha' burgundy brogues and 'Romina' wine bag by Hobbs
Concrete Collar's own black Shaker hat.