A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I were walking along the quays towards town, when we passed by the art gallery Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether on Ormond Quay. Mark had heard something about it, so we stopped in for a look. There were several exhibitions inside the two-story space. Downstairs, exhibits such as "Padded Cell and Other Stories" dealt with institutionalized child abuse in Ireland. The one that had the greatest impact on me, personally, was a series of blown up reports and testimonies from a man who had been place in orphan homes and juvenile detention centers and jails for his entire life, getting sexually and physically abused every step of the way. There are statements from people whose jobs it was to take care of him, failing miserably in putting him somewhere where he'd be safe. It tracks the man from the age of seven or so all the way up to his 40s. It brought tears to my eyes.

Upstairs, the entire floor is scattered with bullet casings. There were several video installations, including Remnants of Our Past, by Farcry Productions. "Letting go of that which you most ardently desire" was essentially a documentary about a previous project where 200 people were brought in small groups to a secret location (secret until they went there) to see where hundreds of firearms were being put out of service. They were then asked not to speak to a single soul about their experience for at least three days. The house was eventually raided and the firearms discarded.

The exhibits are changing this month, and I look forward to seeing what adifferentkettleoffishaltogether has coming up next!