PALIMPSEST by artist Pauline O’Connell is an artistic and cultural project that creatively intertwines history, music, literature, sculpture and social engagement.
The project draws on the history of the Mayfair Ballroom from 1943 to 1973, a period marked by significant social, political, and cultural changes following World War II and Ireland's entry into the European Union. By revisiting the Mayfair Ballroom's legacy and its broader cultural context, the project has many layers of meaning that not only preserve and honour the past but also encourage the audience to reflect on cultural identity and the role of history in shaping contemporary society.
The concept of PALIMPSEST was directly influenced by the popular music of the era as reflective of the time. It comprises a permanent indoor wall sculpture consisting of thirty-two life-size bronze books. Each book features a song title referencing that year's most popular musical number 1 hit. These are arranged haphazardly on seven beech wood shelves, each inscribed with selected quotes gathered from those who danced at the Ballroom.
Interspersed throughout the sculptural installation are previously banned books from the same era, such as Edna O’Brien’s The Country Girls, J.P. Donleavy’s The Ginger Man, and John McGahern’s The Dark. These books, strategically placed in the ‘gaps,’ highlight the tension between the era's outward cultural aspirations and the inward censorship prevalent in Irish society.
This sculptural installation aims to unite and strengthen the community across gender, sexual orientation, race and class. To support this, the artist has invited cultural experts to host workshops and talks in the library, designed to foster new dialogues and connections. This project’s ongoing goal is to encourage discussions and reflections about cultural disparities, inviting the public to place self-chosen books, from the library repository, into these so-called ‘gaps’.
