College of Arts & Media Professor Rian Kerrane’s “Ireland in Motion” is currently being projected on the exterior of Denver’s Daniels & Fisher clocktower on 1601 Arapahoe St. “Ireland in Motion” brings together a collection of motion works from artists with a connection to Ireland and plays on a loop from dusk until midnight the entire month of March.  

Kerrane, who is originally from Ireland, says the timing of the artwork being projected in the month of March is intentional. Thanks to St. Patrick’s Day, “March is a time when everyone is Irish,” Kerrane explains. “There is a celebratory spirit that overtakes people with the holiday.”

Kerrane sees “Ireland in Motion”, which weaves together seven pieces of motion art that range from abstract, to thought-provoking and sobering, to comical, as a “counterbalance that is also a compliment” to that celebratory Irish spirit.

CU Denver’s Role in “Ireland in Motion”

Kerrane has taken CU Denver students on study abroad trips to Ireland since she started teaching at the university in 2003. It was on study abroad trips in 2023 and 2025 that Kerrane took the footage that she would use to create her portion of “Ireland in Motion.” Kerrane’s piece is titled “cy·cli·cal” and brings together site-specific works and imagery from the Irish landscapes of counties Clare and Donegal.

CU Denver student Art Zalewski helped Kerrane with the animation for “cy·cli·cal” and student Montse Garduño Estrada helped another “Ireland in Motion” artist, Ruth E. Lyons, with the animation required for her piece “Until You Become Weightless.”

Water, Landscape, and Historic Themes Emerge

Themes present in the montage include water, landscape, and history.

Footage of water and landscape are employed in Kerrane’s “cy·cli·cal,” Brian Connolly’s “WATER THE BASE OF All LIFE,” and Selena Mowat “‘Solas na Mara’ / Light of the Sea.” The pieces explore the Ireland’s and the artists’ relationship with water—both mystical and physical.

On the theme of history, Lyons’ “Until You Become Weightless” is a series of (at times comical) portraits of her family members as rocks. Using photography and performance sculpture, the piece was inspired by the ancient figures of standing stones in Ireland’s landscape appearing to come together in celebration or to say goodbye to an elder.

Through mixed media and performance, Aideen Barry’s piece “ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᔪᓐᓃᖅᑐᑦ OBLIVION SEACHMALLTACHT” is a compelling exploration of memory, loss, and the ephemeral nature of existence. Barry evokes the banned and outlawed music of the Irish Harp and Inuit Throat Singing, alongside the suppressed languages and folklore of colonized peoples. While the projection does not include sound, the effect of the imagery attached to these practices is not lost.

Two of the pieces, Eric Waldemar’s “Late Gasp for Stan and Harry” and Adrian Kelly’s “Bràchfeabhais / Thriving” are abstract artworks that have a mesmerizing effect against the clocktower. Waldemar’s is an homage to his filmmaking mentors Stan Brakhage and Harry Smith. While Kelly’s piece includes strips of scans, shredded collages, and glitched prints re-scanned along with physical paintings. There doesn’t appear to be an end to the clip.

Night Lights Denver and the People’s Projector

Night Lights Denver is the organization responsible for the “People’s Projector,” which is what is making the “Ireland in Motion” projection possible. Nearly year-round, artwork is projected on the clocktower at night, thanks to the efforts of Night Lights Denver Director David Moke. In addition to the clocktower location, the organization also projects artwork on the Kittredge Building and various locations on 16th Street in Denver.

In April, CU Denver students will have the opportunity to project their own artwork onto the tower through a partnership between the university and Night Lights Denver. Each spring in conjunction with CU Denver’s Performance Art Week, students apply to have their motion works featured on the clocktower for a few days from dusk until midnight, just as “Ireland in Motion” is being featured now.

Artists and Works Featured in “Ireland in Motion”

Ruth E. Lyons “Until You Become Weightless”

Aideen Barry “ᖃᐅᔨᒪᔭᐅᔪᓐᓃᖅᑐᑦ  OBLIVION SEACHMALLTACHT”

Brian Connolly “WATER THE BASE OF All LIFE”

Adrian Kelly “Bràchfeabhais / Thriving”

Selena Mowat “‘Solas na Mara’ / Light of the Sea”

Eric Waldemar “Late Gasp for Stan and Harry”

Rian Kerrane “cy·cli·cal”