Trading Places

In Autumn of 2003 Julie Forrester began work on an artist's residency at the Holy Family School.

The name Trading Places comes from the old links between towns North and South of the border during the time of the flourishing linen industry.

Cootehill was an important town in this trade.

There used to be a bleaching green just behind the Holy Family School where linen cloth was laid out in the sun to bleach to white.

In the beginning of the residency we made a trip to Lisburn to see the Linen Museum, here is a picture of a loom...

Here is a close up of the tallow (goose fat) used on the threads to keep them supple...

The name Trading Places began to signify other things as we worked on making imagery, it came to be about exchange of ideas, and showing each other how we see and understand the world about us.

You can see more work from the whole project, which invlolves 10 schools, on the website

www.linenireland.org

Other links:

George Antheil, a composer who was interested in the sounds of machines

www.antheil.org