In the following weeks we will present a number of articles with the above title. The first one is about Magdolna Toth. I am just going to tell a bit about her history. She went to the National College of Design in Budapest (1986-1990) and became a Porcelain-Pottery Industrial Designer. She then worked for a couple of years for different hotels, designing kitchenware (plates, cups, etc), vases and other objects made out of porcelain to decorate the hotels. These hotels included the following ones; Kempinski, Hilton, Le Meridian. She made some reconstruction works on several historic buildings in Budapest.
(Reconstruction work, Art-Deco Gallery, Honved Street, Budapest)
Magda, spent some time tutoring pottery and arts workshops, camps in studios and schools. She also participated in a pottery workshop in the Black Forest.
(A workshop in Budapest with French People, for the Plage Parade, along the quay of the Danube)
She emigrated from Hungary in 2008, living in County Wicklow with her husband, and three kids. She says that “The biggest difference in living in Hungary and in Ireland is that you have to work hard but your work is appreciated, and there is peace.” She enjoys living here. She is currently studying at NCAD (National College of Art, Dublin) she is just completing her finals exam to become a Community Artist. Magda wants to raise awareness about the importance of Art in the society, local community. She wants to move out people from their comfort zone to see what they can achieve, more than they ever thought so. Her recent works include an exhibition in CFCP Gallery (Centre For Creative Practices) Dublin.
(The Gate, a sculpture made from glass, and clay. You can still find the sculpture in CFCP’s garden. )
She is also participating in the Wicklow Arts Festival, making a “Bridge of Wonders” out of flowers made from painted, recycled plastic bottles. The Bridge will be set up by the end of May, during the Wicklow Arts Festival (May 24th-26th) on the footbridge in Wicklow Town. This project helps the community to work together. There were free workshops to make the flowers.
(A little example of how the ‘Bridge of Wonders’ flowers show their beautiful colours on the ground when the light goes through them.)
