The second edition of the OFFline Animation Residency has begun with the arrival of two talented animators to the Midlands.
Keith Kavanagh and Carolina Larsson were chosen from a wide and varied field of applicants and interviewees for this unique Residency - the only one of its kind in Ireland specifically for animators.
They will spend the next six months living in Birr and working on their respective passion projects. Keith has recently returned from 2 years in New York City and is a native of Dunboyne. He is a graduate of IADT. Carolina is from Sweden and works in the prestigious University of Lund.
A boost to the Residency program this year is the news that one of the animators from the inaugural year in 2018 has returned to Birr to set up his own Animation Company. Award-winning animator Jack O’Shea, also an alumni of IADT, will base himself in the midlands town for the foreseeable future.
Commenting on the news, Salters Sterling of the Trench Trust and Birr 20:20 said:
“We are delighted that after only one year of the OFFline Animation Residency we are seeing the fruits of our labour. Jack is an extremely talented animator and we are fortunate to have him return to our fold. However it also highlights the attractiveness of a place like Birr to the creative industries; Birr's distance from the cities is not a disadvantage - rather a fillip that allows animators, filmmakers and other creatives the opportunity to focus on their work and collaborate sustainably.”
The Animation Residency is funded by the Trench Trust, Offaly County Council, Birr 20:20 and Offaly Local Development Company.