Exhibiting in Donegal

Just a little bit about an exhibition that travelled to Donegal. The exhibition was War-Torn Children and was organised under the auspices of Conflict Textiles, headed by Roberta Bacic who curated the exhibition.
Conflict Textiles is home to a large collection of international textiles, exhibitions and associated events, all of which focus on elements of conflict and human rights abuses and is an ‘Associated Site’ of CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) at Ulster University, Northern Ireland. If you click on the following link you can find out more about the organisation and exhibitions put on by it:-

http://cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles/about-2/

The War-Torn Children Exhibition included arpilleras, photographs and posters and was shown in the Regional Cultural Centre Letterkenny, artists exhibiting in it bringing into focus the devastating impact of war on children, families and communities. The piece I showed here was Her Pillow, the Earth, the first time my work has been exhibited in Donegal. I have previously shown in Dublin with exhibiting group Prism whose members, including myself, produce textile inspired art. 

Her Pillow, the Earth   full image

The figure of the child is taken from a drawing I made of my daughter when she was just a toddler. My feeling as I stitched the piece was that, in placing the child in outline surrounded by a sweep of fabric like a shroud on one side and ruined buildings on the other, her fate was slightly ambiguous in that either the child had died or she was a refugee sleeping on the ground. So many children still suffer in our world at the hands of those who wage war and, as I worked, I felt as if the ruined buildings were toppling onto the child and there was nothing I could do about it. I do support groups who strive to help innocent victims everywhere but it seems so difficult to stop the violence erupting in the first place.
More details about the piece and the impetus that led me to create it can be found by using the following link:-

http://cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles/search-quilts/fullevent/?id=184

War-Torn Children had previously been shown in the Linen Hall Library, Belfast in spring 2017 and it will travel to the Roe Valley Arts and Cultural later this year where it will be on exhibition from 5th September until 29th November 2018. I will be giving a talk/workshop during the exhibition on Friday 5th October 2018 and further details of events and activities during the exhibition will be posted in due course.

This image shows Roberta talking to a visitor about Her Pillow, the Earth at the launch of the War-Torn Children Exhibition in Letterkenny.

Roberta at the Exhibition Opening, War-Torn Children, February 2018.

This is my piece in its place between works by Heidi Drahota seen here on the left and Linda Adams on the right. It is my pleasure to have met both artists at previous exhibitions and enjoy talking to them.

A view of the works in the War-Torn Children Exhibition Opening February 2018.