Aran 0.5 in Design with Heart at St Ettienne Design Biennale 

Curated and designed by Sebastian Bergne. An exhibition of 70 objects that have been created with humanity, intelligence and passion to improve the way we live and interact, helping us to decide what really matters when choosing the things we live with.

An album of the exhibition can be found HERE  and Pinterest HERE

There is now a blog relating to my commission with Willis Newson at Saffron Gardens care home in Bristol which will document progress in the lead up to a community based napkin project. 

You can find the blog by clicking here here  

Aran 0.5 ( no.2) is off to St Etienne Design Bienalle  to be part of an exhibition curated by Sebastian Bergne called Designed with Heart.  Aran 0.5 is a repurposed Ebay aran jumper and plays with ideas of cultural authenticity. More information here barántúil

"We're hardly short of new products in the modern world. But how often do the products we rely on really matter to us? Why do we so often favour big brand names? Is it because we trust in their power to improve our lives or because we lack the knowledge and confidence to make bolder choices ?

This exhibition gets to the heart of why these choices are important by showcasing new products that have what Sebastian Bergne calls 'Design with Heart'. But visitors expecting to find a collection of exclusive design 'icons' may be in for a surprise. Exhibits range from tableware to trumpets and cheeseboards to circus equipment. Some are beautiful; a few may not even appear to have been designed at all.

The ingredients that these products have in common often transcend issues of style or aesthetics. Some are distinguished by the spirit of generosity or integrity in which they were created; others are products with the power to create a special sense of community; still more stand out because of their unique sense of innovation or their sheer beauty."

Here is a selection of the birds I am making for Saffron Gardens .  Birds have been chosen from Jamacia , Asia and Europe and link with nationalities of those in the care home. Each bird will be knitted and embroidered from a variety of different yarns and threads with particular attention paid to touch.

Happy New Year !

2013 is beginning to look like an exciting year with many interesting opportunities arising. Alot of careful timetabling is happening trying to fit it all in ! I am continuing to work on  commission with Willis Newson creating international knitted  birds, tree hat stands and fabric books for dementia residents at Saffron Gardens Home in Bristol. It is exciting to be working alongside artist Eamon O Kane  who is creating interactive works. It has been both interesting and challenging to create tactile works on the theme of 'home' for multicultural residents at Saffron Gardens. 

I have just returned from Skye and look forward to working on a project titled spin cycle skye later in the year. In a multi-disciplinary project looking at visual culture, performance, music and crafts, in collaboration with  Atlas I will be  exploring the theme of spin, revolution and all things that revolve and turn. The project will encompass workshops, work-in-progress presentations, community events and exhibitions of new work across all art forms. You can follow the Spincycle-Skye blog here. 

I return to the isle of Mull soon to continue my research into 'incomers' to the island and to develop new works. Each piece being created for individuals on the island in exchange for their stories . I will have a solo exhibition in July / August 2012 at An Tobar.  

I am also working with singer and illustrator Hanna Tuulikki creating costume/ installation  in Away with the Birds .  

 

Design ideas have been approved for my commission with Saffron Gardens in Bristol so the making has begun! I am collaborating with Helen Kalmijn in creating a set of tree hat stands. Through spending time with  residents when artist in residence at Saffron Gardens ( July / August ) , I was interested to observe residents interacting with  bags , scarves and coats hanging  in different parts of the home. The hatstands, covered in fine knit, will  provide a tactile  functional object within the home which act as a prompt from inside to outside. 

A series of international birds are also being created which will refer to residents countries of origin and provide tactile movable objects which will make their own journeys around the new care home. Each bird will combine textured surfaces suitable for handling . 

'How does dementia affect an understanding of ‘home’ and ‘homely’ for people across different cultures and backgrounds, including those who may have emigrated to Britain in their youth? This is the central question being addressed through an artist residency by Deirdre Nelson within a Bristol care home. She is exploring the concept of ‘home’ within the differing cultural backgrounds and rich life stories of residents and staff at a Brunelcare Care Home for people living with dementia.

Nelson will produce her own work in response to this dialogue and the completed artworks will be installed in a new care home, Saffron Gardens, in Whitehall. Many of the residents and staff with whom Nelson will be in contact during her residency will be moved here when the building opens in December 2012. .'

Making moves Exhibition is on tour 2012-13:
Moor St Station, Queensway, Birmingham, B4 7UL, 3 December 2012 - 3 January 2013
Centre for the Aston Family, 359-361 Witton Road, Birmingham, B6 6NS, 7 -31 January 2013
School of Jewellery, 82-86 Vittoria Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B1 3PA, 4-28 February 2013

A community project and exhibition.

Making Moves, Creating Futures for Craft

Making Moves is a West Midlands craft development initiative involving four regional partnerships, led by Staffordshire County Council and Craftspace, a Birmingham based craft development organisation. The project consisted of nine craft residencies which took place in community settings between September 2011 and July 2012, culminating in a touring exhibition.

The nine makers were challenged by residencies in unusual workspaces - including a hospital, a pub and a park visitor centre - which acted as sources of inspiration to develop ideas for new work. They worked with local communities, offering making workshops that were high quality, inspirational and in some cases, life-changing. The exhibition showcases new work by the makers in response to their residency setting, as well examples of tools, materials and work created in the community sessions.

The project also provided opportunities for nine crafts graduates who supported the community making sessions as well as receiving mentoring from the resident maker. They were given a small bursary towards the development of their practice and have also created new work for the exhibition. Making Moves aimed to provide valuable opportunities for learning. Makers gave masterclasses and lectures to Higher and Further education institutions as well as talks to the wider community. They wrote about the residency experiences on a project blog, as well as coming together for regular networking sessions

To find out more about the project visit www.makingmoves.org and the Makers’ Residency Blog www.makingmoves.posterous.com

Flickr photostream here 

All in a days work 

In the past few weeks , amongst other projects, I have been installing knitted birds for Birdyarns communal knitting project with Cape Farewell. After a brief stopover at Dovecot Studios, they have now  landed at at The Lighthouse in Glasgow as part of Luminate  Festival .There will be a free knitting event on 20th October 2-4pm . More information here 

The birds are accompanied by a listening post with the wonderful voice of Gordon Buchanan.  Working with Maklab in Glasgow, a lazer etched birdbox post was created with headphones covered in fine knit.  

"The MAKLab team are working to encourage access to digital fabrication technology at affordable rates for everyone. We work with everyone from professional designers, makers, crafters, hackers and those dabbling for the first time. Dream it. Design it. MAK it"

  .

busy times + many interesting  projects on the go.... including  arts in health work on the horizon, creating work with Willis Newson for Saffron Gardens, Bristol  and also collaborating with pupils at Vale of Leven Academy in Alexandria. I am working with the students to develop ideas  and design outcomes for treatment room curtains for the new Vale of Leven centre for health and care  with Wide Open Net

My next stop is Bristol for a short residency at Saffron Care Home with Willis Newson and Brunel Care  where I will spend time talking to residents and staff about 'home'. Design work will be developed leading to commissioned work within the new care home.

Synopsis

"How does dementia affect an understanding of ‘home’ and ‘homely’ for people across different cultures and backgrounds, including those who may have emigrated to Britain in their youth? This is the central question being addressed through an artist residency by Deirdre Nelson within a Bristol care home. She is exploring the concept of ‘home’ within the differing cultural backgrounds and rich life stories of residents and staff at a Brunelcare Care Home for people living with dementia."

M40 migrant 1

repurposed Damask napkin, cotton

Making Moves

 motif for printed napkins Making Moves Residency

trees+branches+routes+ roads+ migration 
 
Paper napkins will be printed and distributed to cafes in Leamington Spa.

Revisiting work for Making Moves with Craftspace and stitching a napkin referencing M40 migrants to Leamington Spa.

Modern languages curated by Katy West opens 14th July at the Barony Centre West Kilbride 

'Modern Languages offers the perspective of five international artists and designers with an interest in craft, its history and meaning. These artists seek to re-interpret the sometimes familiar, sometimes forgotten skills of Ireland’s craft tradition. In doing so they uncover fresh significance and meaning, offering new insights into the Irish vernacular.' Katy West

Aran 0.5 is one of four  'authentic' products I have created for the exhibition in 2011. Work developed from Aran 0.5 will become part of an Exhibition curated by Sebastian Bergne as part of St Etienne Design Bienalle in 2013. The theme of the Bienalle is Empathy 

Empathy, or “experiencing the other”

In the face of ecological threats, and long awaited economic revival, philosophers, sociologists and intellectuals now consider that it is necessary to rethink our society, and to imagine a new social contract based on a heightened respect for mankind. One of the notions explored is the foundation of a new society based on empathy – the mechanism whereby an individual can understand and share the fellow feelings and emotions of others.

Empathy, or “experiencing the other”, is the principal theme of this new 2013 edition of the Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial. A theme which invites a broad reflection involving all spheres of society but which is also directly linked to design as an activity of conception. Empathy has been at the heart of the discipline since its origins, intrinsic to the process of putting oneself in the place of the user to understand and anticipate his needs, or accompanying new forms of social rapport.

Throughout the 2013 Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial, we will be exploring the different issues that an empathetic society generates, and its capacity to reconstruct the world: what it proposes, but also what are the risks involved.'

Elsa Francès, Director and General Commissioner of the
Biennial.

Things have been very busy with a few projects on the go . I have just returned from The Isle of Mull and Tiree where I have begun my residency with An Tobar. I had a wonderful inspiring time meeting alot of interesting people. I am researching contemporary communities on Mull and Tiree and meeting all sorts of people from locals to incomers .

I am also completing work for my making moves residency with CraftSpace and heading off to Leamington Spa again soon to celebrate the completion of the project and 'mantel mas grande' ( the biggest tablecloth in Leaminton ). We intend to have an international  party to celebrate the project. 

Bird Yarns project with Capefarewell is coming along with birds being knitted in preparation for their nesting on Tobermory Pier in June