CLOSE KNIT ART PIECE GOES ON DISPLAY FOR ANNIVERSARY
Close Knit' art piece goes on display for anniversary
A STUNNING piece of textile art entitled 'Close Knit' will be launched at the Omagh Community House, by the Duchess of Abercorn on Friday, August 8, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Omagh bomb.
The pair of wall hangings is the outcome of a project to give young people in Omagh a voice and listen to their dreams and aspirations for their home town.
In the aftermath of the bomb the Duchess recognised a great need to give to the young people of the town and was a driving force in the establishment of the Omagh Community Youth Choir, of which she remains the patron. Now, ten years on, she realised that today's generation of young people should be given a voice, a means of expressing themselves and harnessing their creativity and energy. Following a Youth Convention Day which was held at Baronscourt in April of this year, the young people wanted to mark the tenth anniversary of the Omagh bomb by creating something which would be symbolic for the future of Omagh.
The inspiration for the art piece is a headline which appeared in the media very shortly after the bomb. It read: 'This morning in Omagh the sun rose again.' The sun in the first piece is a nurturing and life giving force which is ever present in our lives. The acronym OMAGH spells out a positive message for us all and this is further echoed in the words and sentiments of the young students. Some of the phrases are in Spanish to take cognisance of all those involved on that fateful day.
The theme of sunlight and reflection for the textile piece resonates with the theme of the 'Garden of Light' memorial which is that 'light unites us all in that it makes all life possible'.
The second wall hanging comprises ten pieces which are representative of the ten years since the Omagh atrocity and are an attempt to capture the mood and atmosphere of the town, a fact further underlined by the gradation in colour. Each piece is machine and hand-stitched and the rhythm of this stitch is crucial to the impetus of the work.
The first piece is very heavily stitched, indicative of such a tortured and troubled time, this lessens and calms as the years progress. It is attached to the second piece with a web like stitch which, although fragile in appearance, serves to illustrate the strength and resilience of those injured and bereaved. This cobweb of stitch has 29 holes and two little flowers to represent the lives that were lost that day.
Each of the subsequent pieces is held together with stitch and metal to underline the tenacity of Omagh and its people as the town was slowly rebuilt.
Felt forms the basis for both these wall hangings. It is made from merino wool fibres which are laid down in a warp and weft pattern. The fibres are then wetted and rolled between sheets of bubble wrap. This causes the fibres to mesh together and shrink which produces a strong and durable fabric. The sunshine piece initially measured six foot wide by twelve foot in length but after extensive rolling this shrunk to produce a final piece measuring four and a half foot by nine foot long.
More than 20 young people from both sides of the community worked together, under the direction of artist Teresa Poyntz, to create 'Close Knit'. This evocative work of art will hang in the window of the Community House as a permanent reminder of the creativity and positive dreams of the young people in Omagh in 2008.
A STUNNING piece of textile art entitled 'Close Knit' will be launched at the Omagh Community House, by the Duchess of Abercorn on Friday, August 8, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Omagh bomb.
The pair of wall hangings is the outcome of a project to give young people in Omagh a voice and listen to their dreams and aspirations for their home town.
In the aftermath of the bomb the Duchess recognised a great need to give to the young people of the town and was a driving force in the establishment of the Omagh Community Youth Choir, of which she remains the patron. Now, ten years on, she realised that today's generation of young people should be given a voice, a means of expressing themselves and harnessing their creativity and energy. Following a Youth Convention Day which was held at Baronscourt in April of this year, the young people wanted to mark the tenth anniversary of the Omagh bomb by creating something which would be symbolic for the future of Omagh.
The inspiration for the art piece is a headline which appeared in the media very shortly after the bomb. It read: 'This morning in Omagh the sun rose again.' The sun in the first piece is a nurturing and life giving force which is ever present in our lives. The acronym OMAGH spells out a positive message for us all and this is further echoed in the words and sentiments of the young students. Some of the phrases are in Spanish to take cognisance of all those involved on that fateful day.
The theme of sunlight and reflection for the textile piece resonates with the theme of the 'Garden of Light' memorial which is that 'light unites us all in that it makes all life possible'.
The second wall hanging comprises ten pieces which are representative of the ten years since the Omagh atrocity and are an attempt to capture the mood and atmosphere of the town, a fact further underlined by the gradation in colour. Each piece is machine and hand-stitched and the rhythm of this stitch is crucial to the impetus of the work.
The first piece is very heavily stitched, indicative of such a tortured and troubled time, this lessens and calms as the years progress. It is attached to the second piece with a web like stitch which, although fragile in appearance, serves to illustrate the strength and resilience of those injured and bereaved. This cobweb of stitch has 29 holes and two little flowers to represent the lives that were lost that day.
Each of the subsequent pieces is held together with stitch and metal to underline the tenacity of Omagh and its people as the town was slowly rebuilt.
Felt forms the basis for both these wall hangings. It is made from merino wool fibres which are laid down in a warp and weft pattern. The fibres are then wetted and rolled between sheets of bubble wrap. This causes the fibres to mesh together and shrink which produces a strong and durable fabric. The sunshine piece initially measured six foot wide by twelve foot in length but after extensive rolling this shrunk to produce a final piece measuring four and a half foot by nine foot long.
More than 20 young people from both sides of the community worked together, under the direction of artist Teresa Poyntz, to create 'Close Knit'. This evocative work of art will hang in the window of the Community House as a permanent reminder of the creativity and positive dreams of the young people in Omagh in 2008.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH10An/08
Published Date: 07-Aug-08
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