Taking Time: Craft And The Slow Revolution

Millennium Court Arts Centre, William St, Portadown, Co Armagh Until Sep 25 048-38394415 millenniumcourt.org

In his just-published book,

The Shallows

, Nicholas Carr argues that the internet and its related communications technologies are wrecking our attention spans and changing the way we think in drastic and perhaps irrevocable ways. But Carr isn’t the first to notice the trend towards speed and restlessness in popular culture and everyday life. Neil Postman made the same point about television in 1985 in his book

Amusing Ourselves to Death

.

A touring exhibition, Taking Time: Craft and the Slow Revolution, makes a useful contribution to this debate. Curated by Helen Carnac for Craftspace, it features the work of 19 international makers, artists and designers whose work is of a piece with, intersects with or reflects on the Slow Movement, which aims to address the issue of "time poverty" in contemporary life. The time taken is that of immersion in a creative process and the way that shapes relationships socially, economically and culturally.

Carnac has come up with a fascinating, widely diverse roll call of exhibitors. They include Judith van den Boom and Gunter Wehmeyer, who work as BoomWehmeyer and have been based in China for several years, who explore ideas of community and identity (above).

Can’t See That? Catch This

On Off the Wall/Enclosed Rua Red, South Dublin Arts Centre, Tallaght Mon-Sat 10am-6pm 01-4515860