'Fool's Spring' workshop

To accompany Fool’s Spring by Niamh Roberts for NI Mental Health Arts Festival 2022, local artist & facilitator Jack McGarrigle has developed a workshop in response to Oisín’s work. Jack had considered Oisín's style of writing, influences and the 'Gather' theme for the festival, and has woven them together for this workshop.

Participants are invited to give an immediate response to Oisín’s work through guided techniques in writing, drawing and assemblage of found and collected materials. You will prepare hand looms to explore your experience with the ephemera through the ritual of weaving.

The process of hand-weaving on home-made cardboard looms will give you a hands-on approach to thinking through making. Weaving with unorthodox materials such as found object and long cut up strips of drawings/writing will contrast with natural materials such as cut flowers and plants. This repetitive task will give the feeling of producing something tangible while experiencing the meditative qualities of the process.

The group will then collaborate on a larger loom to produce a collective woven ‘poem’, sharing the potential of weaving. This will unfold like an exquisite corpse of writing, drawing and ephemera. Throughout the workshop Jack will share his own interests in textile, ritual, Irish Folklore and Tarot, drawing inspiration from fairy tree ribbons and exploring parallels between the fool in Niamh’s poem and The Fool in the Tarot card deck.

This in-person workshop will take place in CCA on Saturday 14 May 2022, 1pm–4pm. It is suitable for ages 16 and over.

Places are limited and you can book your free ticket* via our online shop here.

*Confirmation of booking will be sent via email. Please select 'Local pick up' in the shipping option.

Supported by NI Mental Health Arts Festival, the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Derry City & Strabane District Council.