Fire Structures - Ambacht studio
Exhibition/Workshop
Festival Printworks Gallery, Market St.
Exhibition open from Thursday 17 – Sunday 27, September
Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 6pm, Sunday - Monday 12 noon - 5pm
FREE entry - All are welcome, no booking required
Walking Tour led by Róisín Mc Loughlin
“Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán Féin:
Hearth to Hearth through Galway City”
12:00 - 13:00, Sunday 27th September
Meeting point: Tigh Neachtains
Artist Talk / Workshop with Ambacht Studio
13:00 - 15:00, Sunday 27th September
Ancient gathering around the hearth is explored through an installation of pre-modern structures in the form of cyanotype prints and a cyanotype print workshop.
Centred on the role of fire in early human gatherings and pre-modern architecture, this exhibition explores ancient Irish settlement structures from the Grooved Ware period (3000–2400 BC)—a culture believed to be particularly integrated with fire in both domestic and ritual life.
The installation provides a spatial interpretation of a characteristic structure from this era: a circular enclosure featuring four internal posts and a central hearth aligned with the entry. Within the exhibition, this central hearth is reimagined as a rectangular podium displaying study prints for visitors to gather around, view, and touch. Beneath these items, an undeveloped cyanotype print remains exposed throughout the festival, affected with visitor’s actions and ambient light. This symbolic hearth transforms the fire into "a living thing" where the public’s interaction mimics the preservation of a flame. An arrangement of interconnecting stools (by Nocht Studio) forms the first enclosure, encouraging rest and communal gathering around the hearth.
As a second concentric semi-enclosure, three large-scale cyanotype prints interpret Grooved Ware architectural elements across three distinct scales: the site plan, the individual structure, and art. These prints are toned using a bath of ash and wheat grass.
The exhibition concludes with an artist talk and workshop guided by Adela Gomez, where participants will learn to create cyanotype prints from drawings. This event follows Róisín Mc Loughlin tour “Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán Féin: Hearth to Hearth through Galway City” with both events joining at the Printworks Gallery.
Bio
Ambacht was founded in 2020 by Adela Gomez and Bram D’hoedt. Their work finds balance through the act of making, testing spatial configurations and material possibilities. The tactile presence of drawings, models and cyanotype prints allows for cyclical reflection striving to retain the integrity of core design ideologies and the joy of process.
Adela Gómez, co-founder of Ambacht, is an architect and visual artist.. She was awarded the 2023 and again in 2026 Bursary Award from the Irish Arts Council. Her work has appeared in various printed and online publications. Unbuilt and Adela were awarded the Dublin City Art's Office 2026 Incubation Space Award.
Bram D’hoedt, co-founder of Ambacht, conducted his architecture studies at KU Leuven and completed his thesis in association with Columbia University & NYIT. In 2026, Bram was awarded the Agility Award - Architecture by the Arts Council of Ireland. Bram is also a frequent guest reviewer at TUD, UCD, and SAUL.
Project credits Kinstools by Nocht Studio.
We are grateful to Nocht Studio and the KinShip project for the loan of the Kinstools. Philip Ryan of Nocht studio developed the KinStools during an artist placement with the KinShip project and Nature Network Ireland in Tramore Valley Park, in collaboration with the Douglas Frankfield Men’s Shed. Made from locally grown Cork ash and drawing on traditional Irish furniture joinery, the KinStools are a series of two-legged stools designed to interlock with one another. Together, they form adaptable seating arrangements for the Den Talamh KinShip EcoLab pavilion, designed by Fuinneamh Architects.
