A artistic collaboration has been announced to honour the lace making history of Headford.
Lace Matrix will see community members in Headford working with internationally renowned artist Róisín de Buitléar to create a permanent piece of artwork celebrating that history.
Born in Dublin, Róisín is an artist and educator who has been working in glass since 1983.
Examples of her work can be found gracing many public and private spaces including the Blasket Island Centre in Kerry, the National Botanical Gardens in Dublin, and Knock Basilica in Mayo.
With work spanning architecture, sculpture, and design, her creations are also represented in national collections in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Britain, Japan, China and USA.
Róisín was awarded the first artist’s residency at the National Museum of Ireland in 2018 continuing her exploration of legacy, ornamentation and Ireland’s narrative traditions.
This latest project is part of Galway 2020’s Small Towns Big Ideas streams of events for the Capital of Culture programme.
She said that she is thrilled to be taking part in the public arts project, and working with lace.
“I have been working with the history of lace since I studied at art college, as lace making is also part of my family history.”
“My mother is from Connemara and so being involved with Small Town Big Ideas in Co Galway is special,” Roisín added.
Roisín will be working with the Headford Lace Project to develop contemporary ideas that celebrate a lacemaking tradition that goes back to the 18th century.
“When you think that people were growing flax, spinning linen threads, making and exporting lace from Headford from the 1700’s it’s a testimony to their enterprising spirit,” Róisín said.
They will be working together, including holding three workshops this March with interested members of the local community to to explore ideas around how, where and what this public artwork should be.
Workshops are free to join and no art experience is necessary. Booking essential at headfordlace@gmail.com
photo: Headford Lace Project/Facebook
