Tag: Dr Niki Collier

News: Guild Member Dr Niki Collier Solo Exhibition – National Museum of Ethnography, Bulgaria

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
A woman in a grey dress and hat sits in front of a large decorative backdrop featuring colourful, oversized butterfly wings. Behind her, a performer with wings in pink and white poses gracefully.

Recently, the artwork of Feltmakers Ireland guild member Dr Niki Collier has been featured in a solo show, ‘Symbols of Mobility’ in Bulgaria. It has ten installations, including the following: The Phoenix, Children of Lir, The Black Swan, and the newest bird joining the flock- the Flamingo. This travelling exhibition was launched at the National Museum of Ethnography in Sofia on Brigid’s Day, on the 2nd of February, by the Irish ambassador in Bulgaria, Her Excellency Catherine Bannon.

The exhibition has been visited by a record-breaking number of visitors, and there has been coverage on all major television stations: BTV, Nova, BNT, along with many radio stations: Horizon, Focus, BTA, and others.

Dr Collier also held a seminar at Shumen University on Brigid, alongside an exhibition of photographs of her installations. In addition, she led a few workshops at the National School of Applied Art, at the museum, and had an installation at a yarn shop.

There is a video of the exhibition launch on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1163154259226409

More information about the exhibition can be found on the Museum’s website – https://www.bas.bg/?p=62183&lang=en

Here’s a link about the exhibition on the artist’s website – https://www.nikicollier.com/solo-exhibition-ethnography-museum-of-bulgaria/

Her Instagram: @nikicollierfelt

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Exhibition: BeCraft’s ‘Abattoir’ Group Exhibition – Dr Niki Collier – Belgium

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A poster featuring a grid of nine illustrated cows, with large yellow circles obscuring their faces, set against a mint green background. The text at the bottom reads 'À la belle vue de l'abattoir' alongside details for the BeCraft Expo from 8th March to 24th May 2026.
Close-up of vibrant orange felt sculptures with various shapes and curls, set against a neutral background.

BeCraft presents a group exhibition, ‘A la belle vue de l’abattoir’, which marks 20 years of organisation.

Bringing together around fifty artists from twelve European countries, the exhibition explores the theme “Abattoirs” through contemporary applied arts and crafts practices. Through memory, poetry and critical perspectives, the works explore the history and contemporary meanings of these sites, now part of our heritage, and question our relationship to the living, to making, and to transformation.

BeCraft is a professional association that promotes applied arts in the Wallonia and Brussels regions. Ceramics, glass, jewellery, paper, textiles, and product design are among the creative fields in which the supported and promoted artists work.  Since its inception, the association has worked closely with the ECA – European Crafts Alliance (formerly WCC-Europe).

Feltmakers Ireland member Dr Niki Collier‘s piece, ‘The guts to be accountable’, is part of the exhibition.

Artist Statement from Dr Collier –

This is a three-part handmade felt sculpture emoted from the texture and form of the stomach, the guts, and the tongue The sculpture is informed by a cow’s digestive system which is a complicated multitude of organs. They can be a source of learning and growth; simultaneously as an organ and as a symptom of how we interact with food. The food industry today has developed such a disconnect between the food that we eat and its origin that we are conditioned to believe that only certain parts of the animal are nutritious or have a purpose. Rather than looking into changing ourselves: our relationship to food and what and how we eat, we demand the humane killing of farmed animals. The work is also a comment on greed and how greed dictates smokescreens such as ‘’humane killing of animals’’ rather than addressing our behaviour in how and what we eat; which would have an actual impact on the sustainability of our environment. The stomach is now discarded as rubbish by the contemporary food industry, while it used to be a source of healing, a treat reserved for special occasions, and a membrane used to create tools for music and craft. The sculptures aim to start a conversation about our eating habits – what we should not discard – and focus on our own accountability rather than on methods of slaughter.

Where: Anciens Abattoirs de Mons, Rue de la Trouille 17, 7000 Mons, Belgium

Runs until the 24th of May.

For more information, visit BeCraft’s website – https://www.becraft.org/event/a-la-belle-vue-de-l-abattoir-expo

Instagram: @becraftorg @nikicollierfelt

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.

Exhibition: ‘Symbols of Mobility’ – Niki Collier Solo Show – Portumna Demesne – Co Galway

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Guild member Dr Niki Collier has a solo exhibition at Portumna Castle. It combines felt art, installation, dance, and participatory engagements, which are captured through film and photography.

The exhibition ‘Symbols of Mobility’ uses bird lore in legends, proverbs, and intangible cultural traditions to explore the hard truths about ourselves and others.

The audience will get the chance to see seven stories: The Phoenix, The Children of Lir, The Black Swan, The Cutest Chick, The Stork, The Legend of Óengus and Caer, and The Blue Bird of Happiness. These pieces are embodied in large-scale sculptures informed by wings and small sculptures informed by shapes of sorrow and joy. The work also includes installations, photography, and film.

Parts of the work have been produced with the generous support of the Office of Public Works, Arts Council of Ireland, Creative Ireland, and the Dublin Arts Office.

Where: Portumna Castle, Portumna Demesne, Portumna, Co Galway, H53 YK27

The show runs until Tuesday, the 30th of September.

There is a sneak-peek video of the installation over on Niki’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/p/DOEjntiiFlj/

For more information about the opening, which is at 3 PM, on Friday, the 5th of September, visit this website – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/symbols-of-mobility-exhibition-dr-niki-collier-tickets-1646175769039

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Of Interest: Soil Your Scarf – Irish Wool and other wool-related activities at Dublin Maker

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Poster for Soil Your Scarf at Dublin Maker - Saturday and Sunday.

Soil Your Scarf project at DublinMaker – Join Fibreshed Ireland’s co-director, ecologist Jess Leonard, on Saturday, the 30th of August, at Dublin Maker.

“Come knit a tiny scarf made from native Irish-grown wool from The Galway Wool Coop, while learning about soil ecology and how to protect and care for your own garden soil. See magnified mesofauna living in previously buried scarves. When you’re done, you can take your tiny scarf away with you to bury it within the topsoil and find out who’s living there!”

Additionally, other wool and textile-related organisations will be at Dublin Maker, such as the Liberties Weavers, The Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers, and guild member Niki Collier‘s felted sculptures, Symbols of Mobility.

When: Saturday, the 30th – and Sunday, the 31st of August
Time: 10 AM – 6 PM. (Sunday until 5 PM).
Where: Leopardstown Racecourse, Carmanhall and Leopardstown, Foxrock, Co. Dublin, D18

For more information and to book your free ticket, visit Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dublin-maker-festival-tickets-1447016658779?

Instagram: @fibreshed_ireland @thegalwaywoolco_op @dublinmaker

Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about the content, please follow the link to the organisation hosting the event.

Exhibition: Dr Niki Collier – Symbols of Mobility – The Hunt Museum – Limerick

Published on by Feltmakers Ireland
Dr Niki Collier's 'Symbols of Mobility' a multidisiplinary work at the Hunt Museum in Limerick - runs until the 23rd of March, 2025.

Dr Niki Collier’s Symbols of Mobility is a multidisciplinary, ambitious body of work that explores mobility as a change of state or place. The exhibition incorporates large-scale felt sculptures, film, and photography. The work is informed by exploring bird lore in proverbs, fairytales, and intangible cultural traditions. 

Where: Garden Gallery at The Hunt Museum, Limerick.

When: The Launch is at 4 PM on the 6th of March.

Opening remarks will be given by H.E. Vanya Andreeva Malakova, the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Ireland.

The show runs until the 23rd of March.

For more information or to book a place at the family-friendly craft workshop in the morning or at the artist talk in the afternoon of the 15th of March, visit the museum’s website – https://www.huntmuseum.com/whats-on/symbols-of-mobility-with-niki-collier/

Dr Collier’s Instagram: @nikicollierfelt


Disclaimer for Feltmakers Ireland Blog

Feltmakers Ireland aims to share information about awards, education, events, exhibitions, and opportunities that you will find interesting. Our sharing is neither paid for by nor an endorsement of these individuals or organisations.

Contact Us: If you have any concerns about content, please email us at feltmakersie@gmail.com.

Questions: For questions about content, please follow the link to the organisation involved in hosting the event.