B.

In the early stages of World War I, New Zealand artist Edith Collier joined a group of women artists who left London to capture Ireland on canvas. Their destination: Bunmahon, a poverty-stricken fishing village on Ireland’s southern coast. In the documentary Village by the Sea, film director Michael Heath transports us to the Irish fishing village of Bunmahon capturing, with astonishing clarity, the beauty of the Irish land and seascapes, its tumble-down cottages, and the poor peasant community, both young and old. The beautifully shot landscapes – silver sea, misty green hills and radiant lilac skies – are interspersed with Collier’s painted versions.

The film is a quiet exploration of the beauty of this seaside town, seen through a brush and a camera lens. Although Collier’s Bunmahon residency was a century ago, interviews with locals reveal a strong connection to this Antipodean painter. To their disappointment, her work has never been exhibited in Ireland: Collier returned to New Zealand with the sketches and paintings, and gradually abandoned her artistic dream. This melancholy-tinged story pays tribute to an under-acknowledged artist and the continued legacy of her work.

Join us for a slightly different Speaker of the Month.