Trading Places/CR.E.A.T.E. Programme

Welcome

Welcome to LinenIreland.org: this website supports a research project on the History of Linen in Ireland and Northern Ireland; involving children and teachers collaborating with professional historians and artists using technology in creative ways.

About Trading Places/CR.E.A.T.E.

Trading Places/CR.E.A.T.E. seeks to re-unite the communities of Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Banbridge, Lisburn, and Belfast through an exciting exploration of their common bond. Once closely connected through the linen industry these communities will re-negotiate ideas of place, culture and identity in the visual arts and new technologies with young people.

Continue reading About the Project

RESPONSE

Response: Works in Progress

Kids’ Own and partners held an exhibition and workshops at the Millennium Court Arts Centre in Portadown.

View photos from exhibition and winter school workshops.

This mid-project exhibition showed works in progress done by Trading Places/CR.E.A.T.E. artists in Response to working with students and teachers on the project. The artists had a chance to reflect on what they had experienced, and tie it more closely to their own practice. In presentations and workshops, teachers had an opportunity to display how they had brought the theme of linen to life in all areas of the curriculum.

Teachers and artists from new schools attended in order to get an introduction to the project. Nicola Show, a teacher involved since 2003 at Strandtown PS in Belfast advised how you really had to through yourself into it, to get the most from it. A new artist, David Kinane, described how he was looking forward to leaving his well-established bronze work to lead into the exploration of using new technologies in his own practice, and learn alongside the children.

The passion and excitement of all the participants was apparent. Children from selected regional schools also attended. They went to each display, having the chance to work with two artists on an activity. They worked with linen, photography, movement, paper and drawing.

Heather Lynch, a researcher on Arts & Social Inclusion from the University of Stirling attended to observe and document the event. She was impressed with the work, and is looking forward to returning to the project, and having the chance to observe at least two schools involved in the project.

See a images from the exhibitions and winter-school; continue reading at LinenIreland.org

Continue reading about the residencies

New works by artists

Artist Cliona Harmey is working on a 40 day project during the summer of 2004 in an online residency at http://www.variablemedia.org more information is available at: http://www.variablemedia.info/.