New sculpture for Headford made of metal and lace
A NEW lace sculpture celebrating the revival of lacemaking in Headford will be installed in St. George’s Square, Headford, beginning on Friday, November 12, and continuing for several days.
Commissioned by Headford Lace Project (HLP), ‘Lace Matrix’ by Róisín de Buitléar is funded by Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture under their Small Towns, Big Ideas (STBI) programme.
Like the young Headford lacemakers of the 1840s, the giant lace piece will be made using bobbin lace techniques with 2km of cord. It is estimated that it will take members of the HLP community and the artist three to five days to complete using a platform to allow access to the two metre high frame and will be first ever project of its kind in Ireland.
HLP was delighted to be awarded funding by the STBI programme of Galway 2020, European Capital of Culture in 2018. The proposed project was the creation of a piece of permanent public art for Headford that celebrated the heritage of bobbin lacemaking in the town. After a submission process, Róisín de Buitléar was selected.
Eilís Nic Dhonncha, chair of HLP, said: “As well as Róisín’s impressive artistic record, HLP was particularly excited at the central role that creative consultation with the community played in her proposal. Rather than coming to the committee with a product, she proposed a collaborative process. She proposed working with different groups in the community to develop design ideas for contemporary responses to the Headford Lace pattern, within the context of STBI.
“That process began in spring 2019 with a series of creative workshops around lacemaking and placemaking that took place in Headford.”
The sculpture is designed to be interactive, community-led and impactful on the town and its identity.
The artwork is composed of two symmetrical forms, which together create a large heart shape into which a lace pattern is strung. The heart shape is derived from a lace sample made by the local lacemaking community, based on the first uncovered lace sample attributed to Headford’s almost-lost lace history.
Drawing on ideas from vernacular farm ironmongery and keen to employ a local fabricator, Róisín worked with local blacksmiths Pat Monaghan and Simon Harte from the Forge Metalworks in Caherlistrane to create the framework. The loops of metal surrounding the frame echo picot edging found on the border of lace, and will be used to hold the complicated lace patterns.
On Friday, the local lacemakers will begin to make a matrix of flowers, diamonds, and a honeycomb pattern, known as torchon ground.
The sculpture has been created so that the lacework can be replaced by a design by a different group or by a different lace artist from anywhere in the world. In this way, the installation, rather than being the end of a process, is just the beginning of a whole new project that will run for many years to come.
The sculpture, while permanent, will be constantly changing and evolving providing a landmark and a focus in the heart of Headford.