The Studio Sessions
Series One: O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects
The Studio Sessions is a podcast by Orla O'Kane about the architects studio as a site of conversation. The Studio Sessions of O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects, the first series, is co-hosted by John Tuomey and Sheila O’Donnell, of O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects, a partnership and practice that has always acknowledged the influence of other forms of art and culture on their work. They have invited artists, makers, and creative practitioners to the studio space they built for themselves at the end of their garden, people they are interested in and who are doing interesting things, to hear their stories, and talk about areas of reciprocal practice. Each recorded in front of a small audience, and presented in the context of their body of work, these conversations are an insight into how they design and make buildings, but also demonstrate one of the fundamental imperatives of their practice - the importance of the interdependence of artforms in sustaining a vibrant cultural landscape. These conversations were recorded in Dublin in front of a small audience between July and December 2024.
Series One
The Studio Sessions of O'Donnell + Tuomey Architects
Episode
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Orla talks to John and Sheila about the ideas behind the podcast – the architecture studio as a concept, the various studios of their lives, and the studio that they built for themselves at the end of their garden, and they introduce the conversations of the series, the speakers, why they chose them, and some of the things they talked about.
Recorded: Dublin, December 2024
John talks with Vincent Woods, Irish poet, playwright and broadcaster, about formative experiences of Johns childhood, the influence and enduring lessons of his father, and his memoir, First Quarter. They discuss how the village streets, rural houses and landscapes shaped Johns approach to architecture, the parallels between shaping space and shaping language or memory, and explore ideas of place, feeling, and the promise and possibility of youth.
Recorded: Dublin, July 2024
John and Sheila talk to Joseph Walsh, designer, artist and furniture maker, about his upbringing and rural life, intergenerational learning, the idea of ‘making is thinking’ and the iterative, exploratory nature of craft. They discuss their twelve year collaboration, and the transition from intimate handcrafted pieces to the Rambling Houses project, as well as the challenges of interpreting traditional techniques for modern contexts, poetic and experimental materiality, and the interplay between architects, makers, and craftspeople on shared projects.
Recorded: Dublin, July 2024
Sheila talks to the Irish artist Helen O’Leary, whose work defies conventional categorisations of painting and sculpture, and is often described as 'knitting with wood', about the relationship between her personal history and her work, and her deep engagement with found and repurposed materials. They discuss nomadism and the dual cultures of Ireland and the United States, the influence of Irish music and literature, experimentation, pigments and the integration of teaching with art practice.
Recorded: Dublin, July 2024
John talks to poet, editor, academic, and publisher, Peter Fallon, a pivotal figure in modern Irish letters, about Gallery Press, Ireland's pre-eminent poetry house, which he founded at eighteen years old while a student at Trinity College Dublin. They discuss Peters formative experiences leading to a life in poetry, the idea of poetry as 'making' or craftsmanship and where it finds common ground with architecture, the nurturing role of a publisher in a poet's journey, the influence of the landscape of Connemara and Lough Crew, and the role the visual arts, and in particular the work of the artist Michael Kane, played in the history of Gallery Press. Peter also reads a few of his poems, and reflects on the influence and legacies of his friends and fellow poets Derek Mahon and Seamus Heaney.
Recorded: Dublin, October 2024
Sheila talks to Belfast-born co-founder of Rough Magic Theatre Company Lynne Parker, who has spent forty years proving that Irish theatre thrives on audacity and craft. They discuss the role of Rough Magic in defining Irish theatre in the 1980s amidst socio-political turmoil, the significance of physical spaces and how architecture influences performance, the lack of support for emerging artists and the importance of artist development programmes, and the resilience and joy to be found in experimental commissioning and form.
Recorded: Dublin, October 2024
John talks with Pat Collins, Cork filmmaker and founder of Harvest Films, about the importance of local landscapes and communities, the intersection of modernity and tradition, and how small places carry universal significance. They discuss some favourite films, his collaboratory approach to documentary making, the influence of auteurs like Ozu, Tarkovsky and Bergman and the role of European and Japanese cinema in shaping his aesthetic, as well as his recent shift to radio drama.
Recorded: Dublin, November 2024
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