ART GROUP BRING SPLASH OF COLOUR TO STREETS OF OMAGH
Art group bring splash of colour to streets of Omagh
By Doreen Graham
MEMBERS of the 'Solace Art' group brought an unexpected splash of colour to Omagh High Street when they created a 'mandala' outside the courthouse.
With groups throughout Ireland as well as Canada, Spain and the US, 'Solace Art' aims to promote healing, peace and love through the medium of art.
Respect for the environment is also important to 'Solace', which took its name from the Irish for 'light'.
Deeply affected by the Omagh bomb in 1998, six members of the group decided to visit the town on Friday in order to create a temporary 'mandala' to commemorate the forthcoming fourth anniversary of the atrocity.
Derived from the Sanskrit word for circle, a mandala is the name covering any one of various, usually circular, designs used to symbolise the universe in Oriental art and religion.
The mandala the group chose for Omagh was circular with a cross dissecting it into quarters, with a heart in each quadrant. It was made using a variety of materials including shells, wood, stones, coral and crystals.
The primary component of the mandala was a number of shells which had been collected from various beaches around Ireland and then painstakingly hand painted all the colours of the rainbow.
As well as being bright and cheerful the group say the rainbow symbolises inclusion for everyone no matter what their colour, sexuality or politics.
The coral and the wood from Connemara, while being pretty, also stand for the elements of nature while the rose quartz crystals used are said to attract love and peace of mind.
The stones are called 'fairy stones' and are brought all the way from France. They each have a tiny hole drilled in them and one member of the group said, "They are very special. We use them to symbolise the spread of peace and light."
Having arrived in Omagh on Friday morning the group couldn't get to work on the mandala straight away. First they had to find a suitable place to design and lay out the mandala and then get permission to proceed with it.
Deciding on the space in front of die courthouse for parking cars the group were delighted when the judge who was due to park there granted them permission to use it.
The group then began marking out the design in chalk before filling it in using their materials.
The sight of six rather bohemian looking young people creating a pattern out of shells and the like did not go unnoticed by passers by.
"Several people have come over and asked us about it and they've all been very positive about it," said a member of the group.
"We're about bringing colour to the streets for people to enjoy while delivering a message at the same time. We've chatted with people in Omagh about this mandala, but in the end people will take their own meaning from it."
He added, "It would be nice to propose a permanent mandala here in Omagh, but the request would have to come from the public here, not from us.
The creation of the Omagh mandala was even caught on video by one of the group, a young woman from Donegal making an independent documentary on the Solace Art movement.
After their visit to Omagh the group will be gearing up for Ecotopia 2002, an event which will see people from all over Europe gather to discuss important issues such as conflict resolution and the environment.
Held in East Clare the event will include workshops, music and drama and will focus on promoting human rights and environmental awareness, while building friendships among the participants.
One member of the group summed it up best when he said, "Ecotopia is about encouraging the individual to get up and do something about our social and environmental problems themselves instead of just leaving them to councils and governments."
"We can all help to make a difference and Ecotopia hopes to inspire people to do just that."
For more information on Ecotopia 2002 go to the website www.ecotopia2002.org
By Doreen Graham
MEMBERS of the 'Solace Art' group brought an unexpected splash of colour to Omagh High Street when they created a 'mandala' outside the courthouse.
With groups throughout Ireland as well as Canada, Spain and the US, 'Solace Art' aims to promote healing, peace and love through the medium of art.
Respect for the environment is also important to 'Solace', which took its name from the Irish for 'light'.
Deeply affected by the Omagh bomb in 1998, six members of the group decided to visit the town on Friday in order to create a temporary 'mandala' to commemorate the forthcoming fourth anniversary of the atrocity.
Derived from the Sanskrit word for circle, a mandala is the name covering any one of various, usually circular, designs used to symbolise the universe in Oriental art and religion.
The mandala the group chose for Omagh was circular with a cross dissecting it into quarters, with a heart in each quadrant. It was made using a variety of materials including shells, wood, stones, coral and crystals.
The primary component of the mandala was a number of shells which had been collected from various beaches around Ireland and then painstakingly hand painted all the colours of the rainbow.
As well as being bright and cheerful the group say the rainbow symbolises inclusion for everyone no matter what their colour, sexuality or politics.
The coral and the wood from Connemara, while being pretty, also stand for the elements of nature while the rose quartz crystals used are said to attract love and peace of mind.
The stones are called 'fairy stones' and are brought all the way from France. They each have a tiny hole drilled in them and one member of the group said, "They are very special. We use them to symbolise the spread of peace and light."
Having arrived in Omagh on Friday morning the group couldn't get to work on the mandala straight away. First they had to find a suitable place to design and lay out the mandala and then get permission to proceed with it.
Deciding on the space in front of die courthouse for parking cars the group were delighted when the judge who was due to park there granted them permission to use it.
The group then began marking out the design in chalk before filling it in using their materials.
The sight of six rather bohemian looking young people creating a pattern out of shells and the like did not go unnoticed by passers by.
"Several people have come over and asked us about it and they've all been very positive about it," said a member of the group.
"We're about bringing colour to the streets for people to enjoy while delivering a message at the same time. We've chatted with people in Omagh about this mandala, but in the end people will take their own meaning from it."
He added, "It would be nice to propose a permanent mandala here in Omagh, but the request would have to come from the public here, not from us.
The creation of the Omagh mandala was even caught on video by one of the group, a young woman from Donegal making an independent documentary on the Solace Art movement.
After their visit to Omagh the group will be gearing up for Ecotopia 2002, an event which will see people from all over Europe gather to discuss important issues such as conflict resolution and the environment.
Held in East Clare the event will include workshops, music and drama and will focus on promoting human rights and environmental awareness, while building friendships among the participants.
One member of the group summed it up best when he said, "Ecotopia is about encouraging the individual to get up and do something about our social and environmental problems themselves instead of just leaving them to councils and governments."
"We can all help to make a difference and Ecotopia hopes to inspire people to do just that."
For more information on Ecotopia 2002 go to the website www.ecotopia2002.org
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1102
Published Date: 15-Aug-02
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