Dear members. Nationwide last night featured Feltmakers Ireland’s November Sunday Session and maker Leiko Uchiyama. We are sorry we could not tell you in advance as we had not been told it would be on last night.
The choice of what to include in the programme was entirely up to the RTE crew but we feel it gave a positive picture of felting and Feltmakers Ireland.
Congratulations to Leiko! That was a lovely segment about your work.
Carmen Draghici, coming specially from Constanza in southern Romania for the weekend. Her work can be viewed online at FELT JOY and on Facebook & You Tube. She has an ETSY shop and she will bring some of her work to show us.
She will demonstrate some of her unique skills, making a small Christmas Cushion (as time is so limited )
It will be practical session. Some kits may be available to purchase (€4) for those who have materials (old towel, soap, bubble wrap etc) needed to felt with Carmen.
Materials needed: (exactly as last session)
Old towel, bubble wrap, resist, soap, and water bottle, needed.
70 grams red roving, embellishments (including, if you have any, old lace or finest crochet)
All members are welcome.
Tea coffee and Xmas goodies for all!
(Non-members also welcome €10)
Some Information on what you need to bring and what you will learn:
Also: A call out to people who were at the last Sunday session: If you have not unpacked your bags from this event yet, please check if you have ended up with an extra piece by mistake: It is a long brownish piece with an abstract design.
This is a opportunity for all members of the DCCI who wish to book an individual stand at Showcase 2023.
(It is possible that Feltmakers Ireland gets invited to participate as a Guild as we did last year. At the moment we do not know if that is going ahead, if and when we know for sure, we will go out to the members and look for volunteers.)
From the Crafts Council:
Dear DCCI Member,
We are delighted to announce the return of Showcase – Ireland’s Creative Expo® to the RDS, Dublin from the 22–24 January 2023. Showcase is presented by Design & Crafts Council Ireland with support from Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Offices nationwide.
Once again, we will have the area at the front of the Main Hall, exclusively for ‘Design & Crafts Council Ireland’ members.
The details are as follows:
This area is open to all DCCI registered clients
There is no selection process, and you are welcome to send us in your application.
A special subsidy is included in the prices for DCCI clients to make taking part easier, financially.
How to secure your space
Please fill out this online FORM which has a strict deadline of 4pm onFriday 30th September 2022.
Showcase will acknowledge receipt of your email on submission of your form and we will get back to you by mid-October to let you know if you have been successful.
The weather is a bit miserable at the moment, but there should be lovely crisp days ahead as we head into early autumn.
The National Botanic Gardens are magnificent this time of year, and for the month of September you can combine visiting the gardens with a treasure hunt for exciting sculptures all over the place, indoors and outdoors.
About Sculpture in Context
Sculpture in Context was established in 1985 to raise the profile of sculpture in Ireland and provide a platform for artists outside the normal gallery context. It is a not-for-profit organisation run by sculptors. The exhibition has been staged in the National Botanic Gardens since 2002.
Sculpture in Context promotes artists and creates opportunities for practicing artists to exhibit their works in a wider public arena. The organisation has provided much needed opportunities for Irish and non-Irish sculptors in Ireland.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Exhibition: Sculpture in Context
Location: National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin
Dates: 1 September – 7 October 2022
Times: Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-18:00.
Admission: Free. Group tours of the Gardens and the Exhibitions will be available for booking through Eventbrite
This year even more feltmakers are exhibiting so congrats to all and make sure to go visit!
As there are quite a number of feltmakers included there are two blog posts covering the exhibiting artists. This is the second blog post. Artists are listed in the order we have received information. If you have not been asked for details but are exhibiting in Sculpture in Context, please contact us as there are so many artists involved that we may have missed someone. This second blog covers the work of Carmen Garcia, Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann, Juliane Gorman and Claire Merry. Claire is a long time member of Feltmakers Ireland so we have included her piece here even if it isn’t made of felt.
What does Home feel like?by Carmen Garcia
This piece was made in response to the stories coming to us from the war in Ukraine. I wanted it to represent the pain, to be visceral, to be felt.
I used the dissonance between the homely, earthy slipper, that resonates with “cosy” and “safe” and the intense red of the exposed arteries and veins which resonates with life, but also with blood and violence.
However, what I am really interested in, is the feeling people experience while looking at it. Either having read the title or not.
What does Home feel like – Carmen Garcia
The Glow Worms Nest by Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann
The materials, shapes, structures and colours of my native surroundings provide inspiration for my creation. Working with different raw wool types ( unwashed and uncarded fleece loosened by hand ) fascinates me.
This piece embodies warmth, softness, protection and comfort. The upright rods radiate decisiveness and togetherness, all the while surrounded by organic matter.
I love to explore working with silk, recycled materials, paper, rich colours and texture combinations . I employ a variety of techniques to create my work and find joy and share it!
Felting for me is diving into a world of unlimited opportunities. The dialogue with the material wool and the interaction of art and craft, and thereby the implementation of a millennium old technique, captivates me.
The Glow Worms Nest by Astrid Tomrop-Hofmann
Perpetual Felt by Juliane Gorman
Usually, I create whimsical wet-felted hats. However, for Sculpture in Context, I wanted to explore installations.
As I wandered through the gardens in winter, the ancient, naked stems of the Wisteria Chain Tent caught my eye. I found it unbelievable that this organic structure was so large that it almost was a building! Did it feel embarrassed not to have leaves? And what about its cascading blossoms? They would only exist for a few weeks.
My twirling purple pods are an attempt to adorn this quirky location.
There are spiralling, felted cords on each pod made from locally-raised Romney wool. My supplier for this material is Natural Wool Ireland. (https://www.naturalwoolireland.ie/) Although the bulk of the fibre used in the pods is Merino and sadly not Irish-raised. Nonetheless, this wool is also sustainable because all sheep are shorn annually.
Perpetual Felt by Juliane Gorman
Fly Me To The Moon by Claire Merry
I refer to myself as an ‘Art Butterfly’, as I have had great fun and satisfaction in playing with different media. It gives me great pleasure to try out something new and working with proven techniques from previous works.
I have worked with textiles, clays and principally for the last fourteen years with handmade felt. This piece is based on a previous much smaller one, so resizing it was a nice challenge. I love steampunk style, so I have teamed up the hot air balloon with the penny-farthing bicycle, to deliver flowers to the moon on slow power
It is that time of year again! Dublin’s Botanic Gardens are hosting a giant sculpture exhibition both indoors and outdoors. This is the 37th year of this exhibition and it is well worth a visit. The gardens are magnificent at this time of year, and you will find all manners of sculptures nestled in among the plants and trees. This is a great way to get children interested in art as it allows a natural interaction with the gardens while looking out for sculptures. It is a fabulous day out when the weather is nice.
This year even more feltmakers are exhibiting so congrats to all and make sure to go visit!
As there are quite a number of feltmakers included there will be two blog posts covering the exhibiting artists. Artists will be listed in the order we have managed to contact them and get their information. If you have not been asked for details but are exhiting in Sculpture in Context, please contact us as there are so many artists involved that we may have missed someone. You will be included in the second part of this blog. This first blog covers the work of Fiona Leech, Tamzen Lundy, Annika Berglund, Ramona Farrelly and element15.
Toxic Tears by Fiona Leech
Bright red spots immediately conjure up recognition of poison and green, in contrast, is synonymous with nature. That is why I chose these colours for my felt hanging sculpture. The concept of this piece is to raise awareness that every rainfall is toxic. It’s called acid rain due to high levels of pollutants in the atmosphere. These toxins are invisible, so I made the piece very visible and tactile for maximum impact.
I am a Dublin based felt and textile artist. I work mainly with wool fibre which is sustainable, bio degradable, renewable and recyclable.
Toxic tears Fiona Leech
We are all connected by Tamzen Lundy
We are all connected is a response to the global refugee crisis, it is symbolic of our Irish diaspora and our tradition of immigration and emigration. The movement of people because of war, economics, and hardship. The red thread that binds and connects these journeys. I have collected beach material from the wild Atlantic way, places of great natural beauty, which are also landing and exit points for long and dangerous journeys. Choosing small glass bottles as if they encase a fragile message to loved ones. One bottle remains empty, to be filled with future hopes.
“No one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land” (by Warsan Shire, poet “Home.”) A poem that inspired this work.
The materials used in my piece are fully sustainable. I have used repurposed glass bottles to contain sand ( from Irish beaches… also the component for making glass). The felt tops are 100% wool, from sheep, a fully sustainable, and biodegradable material and the fibre attaching each bottle is linen, plant based, water consumption friendly material.
In my arts practice I endeavour to use materials that are as sustainable as possible. I collect and reuse packaging and I choose wool as my primary medium.
We are all connected Tamzen Lundy
Everyday Moments by Annika Berglund
Covid changed the world. The everyday had to shrink to fit inside square walls. It consisted of the circles we walked inside these walls and the bubbles we embraced.
My work became focused on the immediate and the simple; the confining but protecting square, the circle of the nurturing bubble, the threatening image of the virus.
Felting became both practical during lockdown and symbolic;
wool fibres, through soap, water, rubbing and being knocked around, create connections that hold together to create a very strong fabric of interlocked fibres that cannot be pulled apart again. Cohesion through adversity if you will…”
Everyday Moments – Annika Berglund
Ariadne’s Gift by Ramona Farrelly
At present I am creating work that tries to incorporate the healing process of art.
The idea for this piece comes from a premise that the metaphysical wounds we suffer throughout life provide us with learning that helps us navigate and grow during our time on earth and allows life to become ever more meaningful.
The red vessels represent these wounds and they, put together, form the Chrysalis through which we intrinsically metamorphosise. In Greek mythology, Ariadne’s golden thread which, represents the soul’s knowledge, helped Theseus navigate through the labyrinth and so it is represented here as such.
Ariadne’s Gift – Ramona Farrelly
Kinship by element15
element15 is a collective; individual artists cultivating their practice in tandem with each other, distinct but connected. The sustaining nature of our creative bond is a mirror of a tree’s root system, providing anchorage and sustenance to flourish in a world beset with profound challenges. In many cultures, a red string or thread represents the labyrinth of connections tying together those whose lives intertwine. By working collaboratively on Kinship we use the symbol of the red thread as a visual connection from us to the natural world, from our sculpture into the earth. www.element15.ie
Kinship – element 15
The following are the names of the artists who collaborated on the piece:
Just a reminder that it’s AGM time of year again and this year we’ll be together after two years of zoom. It’ll be instead of the Sunday Session on the 15th MAY.
We’ve a new venue too , thanks to Lorna Cady, which we hope may become our other new home.
It is the CIE Sports and Social Clubhouse in Inchicore. 1 Library Square, also known as West Terrace but more importantly the postcode is D08 PA07. I’ll forward the link on google maps closer to the date.
Dublin Bus from town : 40 and 79
Below is the outline of the running order for the meeting to start promptly at 10.30am with the usual reports and addresses from the committee members. Two guest speakers will share a little about themselves and their practices followed by coffee and refreshments, chat and a “Lucky Dip”. We will aim to move swiftly through official business to have more time for the social bit. Because let’s face it, we’re really good at that bit and we’ve really missed it.
We are asking everyone , who might like to, to bring a small secret parcel of felting materials ( fibre, fabrics, embellishments etc..) max €5- €10ish to be a surprise lucky dip! Anybody who brings a bag gets to receive a lucky dip bag, but there is no obligation to participate.
We’d also like to suggest that everyone bring cake, buns or whatever as is normally done for the AGM. There’ll be plenty of tea and coffee.
You must be a member to attend, but you can renew your membership at the door if you have not joined already.
Finally, if there is anything that you’d would like added to the agenda it must be sent to the Secretary by 5th May. That’s 10 days before the meeting as is written in the constitution.
We invite you to celebrate EMERGENCE – ArtNetdlr Exhibition Launch this Thursday 14 April, with ArtNetdlr friends & artists, and all creative community of Dun Laoghaire – Rathdown, and a JAZZ Quintet. Emergence, a group exhibition curated by invited artists Jay Murphy and Louise Neiland, featuring the work of over seventy artists from dlr is now on view at Walters. You can also explore and buy artwork online.
Members Annika Berglund and Niki Collier included in exhibition.
This is very short notice, but we only received this information today. We are sharing it anyway in case you can take advantage despite the short notice.
Bloom 2022 – Applications Now Open for the Irish Craft Village
Applications are now open for Bloom 2022 which takes place in the Pheonix Park, Dublin, from 2nd to 6th June, 2022. The event represents opportunities for craft makers to promote and sell their products to over 100,000 people over 5 days.
Applications are invited from artists and practitioners based in Ireland working with locally sourced natural materials to participate in forthcoming exhibition Timpeallacht.
Sculpture in Context is a large outdoor and indoor sculpture exhibition taking place in the Botanic Gardens in Dublin every year. the exhibition was set up in 1985 by sculptors whose aim was to work on behalf of fellow sculptors to provide space for exhibiting work of sculptors in venues outside of the normal gallery context.
It has been successful in that aim over the years and and is a very popular event every autumn where visitors can see the magnificent gardens and chance upon art works around every corner.
The Botanic Gardens is a huge space for a sculpture exhibition and that gives the organisers leeway to welcome new and unknown artists and makers as well a better known names. This makes it a great place to dip your artistic toes into applying to show your work to a wider audience. There is a lot more space outdoors than indoors, so you have a better chance to be accepted with outdoor works. Some felted art will be fine to stay out doors for the couple of weeks the exhibition is on for. Otherwise you may want to look at some kind of weather proofing of your work. If this is an area you are interested in, get in touch and we can do another blog post on the subject, or discuss it at one of our Sunday sessions.
As far as we know, only three members exhibited at last years exhibition: Fiona Leech, Ramona Farrelly and Annika Berglund. If we missed one of our members exhibiting, get in touch and we will add your work to the next blog.
Ramona Farrelly
So, we suggest you give it a try this year!
Here is all the important information:
Sculpture in Context is a pivotal event in the Irish arts calendar and the most important sculpture exhibition in the country. The annual exhibition attracts a large public and critical audience and is the highlight of the National Botanic Gardens calendar. Sculpture in Context is a key event for both public and private buyers of all levels.
Open to all artists working in three dimensions in any medium. Proposals may be durable or time-based artworks, including performance or video.
Important Dates- Sculpture in Context 2022
Submission Deadline – Friday 8th April
Artists Notified – End of May
Outdoor & glasshouse Installation– Thursday 24th and Friday 25th August from 5-9pm
Gallery Drop off – Saturday 27th August from 11am to 2pm
Opening – Wednesday 31st August
Exhibition Take down- Saturday 8th and Monday 10th October (See details below)
Exhibition Dates – Thursday 1st Sept to Friday 7th Oct
Site Visit
If you would like to visit The National Botanic Gardens to see the venue; the gardens are open to the public seven days a week, admission is free.
Important Changes
Over the last few years as the exhibition has grown, our running costs have risen. To help cover these costs we have had to make some difficult decisions to ensure that Sculpture in Context continues to successfully support artists and promote sculpture in Ireland.
We have introduced a new entry fee of €15 per entry (max. of 3 entries) and new commission rates- 25% commission on all work up to a value of €15,000 and 20% commission on all work above €15,000.
New Installation Details- In line with the National Botanic Gardens new health and safety requirements ALL outdoor and glasshouse work will be installed outside public opening times.
Outdoor and glasshouse works- Thursday 24th and Friday 25th August from 5-9pm
Gallery works- Drop off to gallery on Saturday 27th August- 11am to 2pm
Please send all information in one pdf attachment only using your surname and first name in the file name ie. ‘Smith_John_EntryForm2022.doc’
Applications by email to info@sculptureincontext.com. Please send all information in one pdf attachment only. Complete all relevant sections on the attached Entry Form and include additional pages with the following:-
1. Two Images or drawings for EACH proposed sculpture
2. Written description of sculpture to include details of materials, dimensions and proposed method of installation (max 500 words).
3.Two images of previous work
Payment of Entry Fee can be made to Sculpture in Context by bank transfer. Please use your surname and first name as a reference on all transactions. Bank details can be found on the entry form.
We have tried to make the entry process as easy as possible, but if you are struggling with internet issues (submission or payment) please contact us at info@sculptureincontext.com directly and we can make alternative arrangements for you.
All enquiries regarding the exhibition and/or siting must be directed to the Sculpture in Context Committee at info@sculptureincontext.com
The guild of Feltmakers Ireland was invited to take part in SHOWCASE IRELAND 2022 to demonstrate the craft of feltmaking.
Showcase Ireland, Ireland’s Creative Expo ® is one of the country’s largest international trade shows. Over 4,000 buyers visit the event from across the world,
This year we were asked to participate with only a week’s notice, which was pretty tight but we managed to rise to the challenge of showing what felting is about over the 4 days of this event.
It was a great opportunity to tell people about the guild of Feltmakers Ireland and we hope that we have opened the door to future opportunities for those in our guild who sell their work in larger quantities to participate in this event in the future.
There were many interested people who stopped and enquired about our guild, about the felt making process and the felt pieces that were on display. Each day our stand changed what pieces were shown depending on what maker was demonstrating.
Our contact in DCCI was very happy that we managed to pull this off with so very little preparation. Given the positive feedback our stand generated she was hopeful that we can do this again in future years, hopefully with more advance notice.
Feltmakers Ireland would welcome the opportunity to do this again. With more notice we would be able to have time to advertise beforehand on social media and on our blog.
We would also open the space, and the manning of the stand, to all our members, hoping that as many as possible of our members who sell their work could take part and be able to share their creations with the retail sector.
We think this could be a great showcase of the talents of our members and the possibilities of making quality products using felt.
