Over the next few weeks I will be posting lots of information about my involvement in the Linen Lab project and it’s exhibition, which opens 11th October at 11am at FE McWilliam Gallery & Studio.

There will be an additional Meet the Maker opening from 2-4 on Saturday 12th October.

The Linen Lab exhibition will feature the work of Heather Richardson, Jill Phillips, Robert Peterson, Studio Plastique, Lynsey McDougal, Deborah Malchomson and myself.

We are the creative professionals who have been challenged to work collaboratively with young people aged 10-19 in schools and college across Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon. Over the nine-month programme of classroom and gallery-based creative sessions, we have developed new work for the exhibition held in the FE McWilliam Gallery, Banbridge from Oct 11th to Nov 9th 2019.

Learn more about Linen Lab

As the exhibition in Venice draws to a close I wanted to look back on the making of my piece, Fionn, made especially for the VENICE DESIGN 18.

Fionn is the namesake of the mythical Northern Irish giant, Fionn Mac Cumhaill. Legend speaks of the giants size, strength and skill, but in particular the ability to outwit his enemies through disguise. Not dissimilar to MacCumhaill, I hoped to temporarily beguile the audience, inviting them to relook at the material by creating an elegant chandelier, using an everyday industrial material. Do you think it worked?

The chandelier has been sculpted using 650metres of Velcro disguising the heavy industrial material as a giant lighting sculpture standing over two and a half meters long and floating in the beautiful Palazzio Michel in Venice

It has been such an honour to take part in this amazing exhibition and I wish to thank the team at the European Cultural Centre for all their support over the past year and for their belief in my work.

I also wish to thank both the Arts Council NI and the British Council for funding my participant in VENICE DESIGN 18