About

Interface is a studio and residency programme for visual artists, dancers, writers and musicians, situated in the Inagh Valley, in the heart of Connemara. Our mission is to provide catalysing opportunities for artists to develop work and engage with others through a unique platform that explores the intersections between scientific research and art.

The studio is located in premises shared with the Inagh Valley Trust, which drives a number of innovative scientific research projects in the Inagh Valley. Interface offers artists an opportunity to engage with a unique environment and to be inspired by the exciting research taking place in a spectacular landscape.

The facility was built as a salmon hatchery in the late 1980s. Scott Tallon Walker architects were commissioned by Carrolls cigarette company to design the biggest, most advanced salmon hatchery in the world. The company ran a fully automated, computer-controlled hatchery and supplied offshore salmon farmers with smolt via helicopter. The business ultimately failed because the factory was built too high above the adjacent lake, and the cost of recirculating the water was too heavy. The facility was bought by the current owners in 2007 with a view to developing a centre of scientific research and development.

Residencies take place over periods of between two and four weeks. The resident artist is provided with studio space and accommodation. The residency is not suitable for children.

Accommodation is offered through a range of providers, in Clifden, Letterfrack or Moyard. We wish it was otherwise, but public transport in Connemara is very limited and the roads are dangerous. It is essential to have a driver’s license and the use of a car.  Please get in touch if this is something you need to avail of. Interface is coordinated by visual artist and musician Alannah Robins together with programme manager Emma O Flaherty and public engagement officer John Durning.