BishopAccountability.org
	Controversial Art Displayed by Local Dundalk Priest Depicts Sexual Abuse By Tamara O'Connell Dundalk Democrat December 2, 2009 http://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/dundalknews/Controversial-art-displayed-by-local.5877183.jp A DUNDALK priest has unveiled a controversial art installation which is "an unashamed attempt to get at the heart" of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Friar Fr Joe Walsh from Castle Road, Dundalk created the installation, which depicts sexual abuse, as a "visual response to the Ryan Report". The brightly coloured exterior of the installation looks like a funfair or circus tent. However, the inte rior is darker and appears more sinister. Teddy bears are nailed to crosses and the music to Teddy Bears' Picnic plays eerily in the background with only candles to light the way. Pages from the Ryan Report, which have been coloured and put together to look like a stained glass window, emphasise that sometimes all is not what it appears to be. Friar Walsh officially unveiled his art depicting sexual abuse in the Church at Multyfarnham Friary, Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath on Friday, November 27 at 2pm. "It is not always true that language represents the true reality of a situation. "Sometimes words and the concepts associated with words get in the way of reality or, when used in a particular fashion actually form a kind of defence to screen us from reality," said Friar Walsh. "In the case of sexual abuse, language often degenerates into a debate which, while necessary, can prevent us from feeling the horror of what has happened. "By depending on images instead of words, I hope to draw our attention back to the horror inflicted on the victims. My work is an unashamed attempt to get at the heart - to evoke compassion and a desire for the kind of legislation and justice." Workshops are being run free of charge for both adults and children. For further information visit www.strayingclosertomulty.com.
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