Newsview: A look at the interesting events and exhibitions happening this week

Rose Martin rounds up interesting events, exhibitions and more...

The talk is that the Emil Nolde exhibition in the National Gallery is well worth the trip north and it runs until June 18 which means it overlaps with the newest production at Merrion Square, ‘Drawing Dublin’, an exhibition of images of the capital city, which opens on May 5 and runs to August 26.

Inspired by the city and its hinterland, the essence of Dublin, captured in various media, by a range of artists, from Orpen (below) to Kernoff, to Flora Mitchell (yes, an Irish woman painter) and many more, in gallerist Anne Hodge’s pick of 70 works.

Ranging from the 1690s to the 1960s, the exhibition evokes the city’s various moods and give a snapshot of its people and its architecture down through the centuries.

“Unusually, this exhibition about Dublin includes forgotten places and anonymous people, such as a windmill at a quarry in Rathgar, and a portrait of ‘Mrs Moore’, who lived in the tenements behind Mount Street,” says Hodge

“Notable is a group of sketches of ordinary Dubliners — a woman pushing a pram; unemployed men and children in Stephen’s Green drawn by stained-glass artist Michael Healy while on his lunch break.

“These simple images capture gestures and gaits brilliantly. Healy could be seen as Dublin’s L S Lowry.”

The Irish Green Building Council has come up with a set of recommendations which it hopes will be adopted into the building regulations in the face of increased pressure from Brussels to bring our leaky housing stock up to par.

Poorly insulated dwellings will have to be addressed by 2050 to achieve our targets, while new builds are on track for near zero energy — nZeb targets — from this year onwards.

The not-for-profit, limited company that is the Irish Green Building Council, is now advocating a clear accreditation system so homeowners are assured of a quality, deep retro-fit, when they engage a contractor.

It makes absolute sense — here’s what IGBC’s CEO Pat Barry says: “For homeowners, getting the money to do an energy renovation is often the main problem, [they’re advocating eco-morgages too], yet even those who have access to the cash, just don’t know where to start and who they should trust for advice”.

And he points out the time and a lack of skills is compounding the problem of proper training in sustainable, building practices in te industry:

“A lack of skills... can lead to poor advice, poor quality work and ultimately to a general loss of confidence in energy renovation. The last thing we need is badly designed and implemented work which gives the whole industry a bad reputation.”

Dead right — standards are wobbly when it comes down to retrofits — and for the smaller jobs, homeowners can be exposed to at best, inept practitioners. And Barry points out too, that as the industry is picking up, it’s harder for builders to find the time to train in new, greener approaches to retro-fit.

So, to counter this, the IGBC suggests a register of accredited professionals supported by the SEAI along with main construction bodies and institutes to assure the quality of deep retrofits.

He’s suggesting a flexible accredited pathway to allow easy upskilling of building professionals and also comes up with the radical suggestion that levels of health and comfort should be included as part of the approach. Imagine that?

Barry even uses terms like holistic in this report, which, when it comes down to it, is what we want in our home renovation - joined up thinking.

“The accreditation framework must be supported by Government if it is to be recognised by consumers,” says Barry.

“A link to the register of accredited professionals could, for instance, be included in the BER advisory report. SEAI, Government agencies and local authorities could also mandate the use of accredited professionals as part of their funding applications. The full report can be downloaded at www.igbc.ie.

And on to more delightful matters. So, someone in the family is getting married and you fancy coming on all Franc for the event by creating a handmade, design theme for the day. Well, before you try to pull off something that may well go down in the family disaster annals, perhaps it might be worthwhile taking the time to go Ikea for a cute and interesting pop-up event.

Sara Kennedy, (right) has already published The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide Ireland and out of this and her vast wedding hoopla experience, will host a ‘wedding décor event’ in Ikea, Dublin on Tuesday, May 15 from 7pm to 9pm.

Open to Ikea family members, (so make sure you sign up online), this will be, she says, “the perfect opportunity for bride and grooms-to-be (and bride and brides and grooms and grooms), to learn how to create beautiful, on-trend but affordable backdrops for their big day”.

I’d say add in Granny, Mammy and Aunty to that list, (they’ve probably been under starters orders for the past year, anyway).

Sarah, a blogger, (sigh) does have 15 years of this behind her, to be fair, and says she’s learnt a few tricks in her time, which she’ll happily pass on in Ikea on the night. And it will be aimed at reducing the cost of the ‘peripherals’ of a wedding, hence the Ikea location, where she’ll source the goodies for her demonstration.

Not a bad idea at all. Sara says she’ll offer “top tips on how to ‘style like a star’ on a budget”.

The founder of IrishWeddingBlog.ie, says couples should approach their wedding day in the same way they would any other major financial investment and have full control of their budget at all times.

“Weddings are wonderful, magical events but they can also be very expensive.

“There are lots of hidden extras which can push the budget way over. Décor is one area, in particular, where couples can really make a significant saving. Utilising beautiful, on-trend pieces, like those available at Ikea, could save couples hundreds in this area alone.”

So, what’s an Ikea- inspired wedding going to look like? It will be a DIY wedding and using sample setups, the blogger will show you how to take a theme from start to finish — from the ceremony right through to the photo booth. And there will be goodie bags and a refreshments on the night.

The Ultimate Wedding Planning Guide Ireland; Eason — €14.99 and at irishweddingblog.ie.

TK Maxx and Homesense will be stocking a range of hand-made baskets from Uganda this May as part of a philanthropic gesture on behalf or the retailers. The items will help customers do good they say, as the price of a basket is equivalent to half the cost of sending a child to school in Uganda.

So, income from the baskets goes directly to the makers to help pay for their children’s education.

The retailers set up a training programme in traditional basket-making using local materials and these products are now on sale from €12.99 upwards. The baskets will probably, shame to say, take their place amidst the consumerist clutter of our homes, Buy, do good. — but keep a cynical eye out.