'tour de force' is a national tour of Ireland by visual artist Liliane Puthod and writer Ingrid Lyons. At the wheel of Liliane’s late father’s Renault 4, tour de force is a celebration of culture and creativity in the format of a mapped adventure all around Ireland.
For the Leitrim pit stop, the artists have partnered with The Dock for a collaborative performance on Saturday 2 August, 2—4pm. *Completely Knocked Down refers to an industrial loop hole during a period of high import taxes in Ireland where breaking cars apart and transporting them to Ireland in flat packs to be reassembled provided a solution in making cars more readily available. In a contemporary art context, it’s a model to consider the fragmentation and restructuring of physical and mechanical processes and practices.
Inside The Dock, a collaborative performance takes place through installation, storytelling and music with visual artist Liliane Puthod and writer Ingrid Lyons. They are joined by Drumsna native Edwina Guckian for an additional performance through steps, rhythms and refrains.
Objects gathered act as touchstones for narratives and histories encountered along the way. Meanwhile the Renault 4 goes through a car wash and the seemingly mundane or quotidian act of emptying the car, unpacking and cleaning it, allows for a moment of catharsis at the midpoint of the six week tour de force. As Liliane and Ingrid’s performance draws to a close a transformation occurs.