An Artist’s Escape emerges on Inis Oirr

The amazing Studio Drop structure has been constructed on Aran and is available for public viewing from June 21st.

It is a portable artists studio, a thing of beauty and will host a curated series of artists over the next few months. Studio Drop is an architecture and design project, originally commissioned by the arts organisation Drop Everything for Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture. The studio will launch on the summer solstice, 21 June 2021, offering a summer of creative residencies through until August. Designer Jordan Ralph and a team of Drop Everything collaborators have designed and built an off-grid artist studio space on the remote and beautiful island of Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, located off the west coast of Galway, Republic of Ireland.

Taking inspiration from common sights on Ireland’s coastal landscape, from martello towers to beehive huts, as well as construction methods used by local boat builders in Galway, Studio Drop designer Jordan Ralph has created a unique artisanal space for artists to think and create, located at the edge of the famously wild and rocky coastline of Inis Oírr. After an inspired visit with boat builders restoring the ‘Loveen’ Galway Hooker fishing boat, Jordan reworked his design based on the traditional techniques seen in Hooker builds. The result is an experimental and unique project with an original one of a kind construction.

The Studio is a cylindrical structure, with a window looking out to sea, designed as a space to think, read, write, and develop ideas. Interior design features include a hammock style daybed made from a trawler net washed ashore during a winter storm, salvaged by local fisherman.

The hope is to create a rest and work space, powered by nature, that can easily up and move to different locations. The studio site is complemented by outdoor cooking, BBQ and seating areas.

Visual artists, writers, illustrators, musicians and photographers, are invited to participate in week-long residencies on the island. The first artist in residence is Maria Somerville, musician and resident host on NTS Radio.

The studio has been designed and built on Inis Oírr, County Galway, Ireland and was originally commissioned as part of Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture, which has been extended into 2021 due to the circumstances of the global pandemic.

Photos by Mark McGuinness.