Choreographer and performer Luke Murphy founded Attic Projects in 2014 as an umbrella for his various independent projects in dance, film and theatre.
His celebrated 2021 work Volcano was the winner of Best Production, Best Movement, Best Lighting and Best Set at the Irish Times Theatre Awards.
He is currently Dance Artist in Residence in his native Cork City.
This July, his latest show Scorched Earth comes to the Galway International Arts Festival.
We asked Luke for his choice cultural picks...
FILM
Very hard to pick one, I love the atmosphere in the remake of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the intensity is so understated, it has an amazing ensemble cast and the performances are all brilliant. I think The Death of Stalin is probably the film I've rewatched the most, I just love the writing, it's so clever and so funny and then brutally menacing in a couple of moments also. And I think The Master by PT Anderson is absolutely phenomenal.
MUSIC
Eoin French/Talos has released an album, A Dawning with Olafur Arnalds. I was very lucky to have known Eoin and I can't wait to hear more of his music. Outside of that I listen to a lot of Craven Faults, Kangding Ray, Kiasmos, Kerala Dust, Son Lux, Fourtet, Rival Consoles, Fieldhead, Loscil. I've worked with the composer Rob Moloney for a few years and I'd go to see a production just to hear what he's written next.
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BOOK
I'm an incredibly slow reader. I think Grief is a Thing With Feathers by Max Porter is incredible. I love the way it tells its story and the use of abstraction and it's full of these really simple sentences that go right into your gut. It's a book that as you read it you kind of physically feel it on you.
THEATRE
Again, so hard to trim it down... The Second Woman played at the Cork Midsummer Festival a couple of weeks ago and it was a phenomenal achievement. Eileen Walsh performing an eleven-minute scene on repeat with a hundred different scene partners over 24 hors. I watched two hours the first night and six the following day. Just watching Eileen was incredible, she's just a real master of her craft and so full of charisma and wit but beyond that after a few hours the duration of watching teaches you what the project is conceptually exploring and it is so clever, confronting and powerful.
I saw Sarah Snook in Dorian Gray last year in London and technically that's probably the most impressive production I've ever seen.
I re-read Enda Walsh's Misterman a few weeks ago and it brought back the memory of the production and that's an absolute belter of a play. Another one that goes right to your gut.
I saw The Pillowman a number of years ago and that's back at the Gate so I'd recommend checking that out, it's a great, great play.
TV
I'm sure I'm just preaching to the choir here but Severance... give me more Severance, don't make me wait for more Severance. Adolescence is unreal, both the story and also the way it was made. That's one of those projects you just wish you could have been a part of. It's incredible. I'm not a massive Star Wars person, but I think Andor is brilliant and I could enjoy it without needing to know much about the whole Star Wars world.
GIG
The last gig I went to was Cormac Begley at the Cork Opera House. It was awesome. I'm performing myself at the same time but if I could I'd go to Mogwai at the big top in the Galway Arts Festival, looks like it's going to be class.
This years' Sounds For a Safe Harbour is Sept 11-14 and it's full of great gigs so I'll be hopping around then.
ART
I don't know if this is still touring galleries but there was a video installation called Manifesto by Julian Rosefeldt and that's probably one the best things across any medium I've ever seen. It was about twelve short films shown in different areas of a gallery on a loop all running simultaneously and all a different monologue by Kate Blanchett. It's hard to describe in writing but if you ever come across it, get in there.
RADIO/PODCAST
I listen to music more than podcasts. I do the Irish Times In The News Today podcast when I'm commuting and when I'm travelling I'll download a rake of Radio Lab. The only problem is with both Radio Lab and This American Life, their voices are almost too soothing, I end up getting a bit lulled but the stories are always really interesting.
TECH
I'm not a massive tech person. Super basic apps, basic tech so nothing major to offer here. Personally I think Shazam is the app I'm most grateful for, hearing something in a shop or a restaurant and having an app give you the artist and title is the just the best.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I feel like playing cards and boardgames is having a bit of a renaissance - or maybe I just hope it does. I love a good game. I also feel like we might be close to the rebirth of general repair shops. The habit of dumping and replacing things, appliances, technology, it's all so wasteful. My dad was an engineer and I grew up in a house where if something was broken he'd just fix it. So hopefully we all decide that's cool at the same time and people just start fixing things.
Scorched Earth will run as part of Galway International Arts Festival from 15th - 19th July at the Black Box Theatre - find out more here
