Starry Starry Starry Knit Knit Starry
In this project, I designed and fully finished a knitted jumper by using a SHIMA industrial Knit machiene. For my designs, I considered ways of translating paintings to knit and researched Austrailian Coogi and Tundra sweaters.
Activist Art In the a lecture I once attended, the speaker proposed a concept of art. The idea was this: Activism is art. It is no longer enough for art to merely critique social issues.It must combat them. This concept had never before entered my mind and succeeded in provoking a paradigm shift in my creative conscious.For a few days, this new idea reverberated in my mind. I questioned my entire works up until this point and found myself asking why? What was my point and how did it help anything? Initially, this development in creative perception caused a sort of existential apathy toward my work. But finally, I came to an epiphany. From this brief crisis in meaning I drew a powerful conclusion- The only way that I can oppose pointless art is by refusing to make it ever again. And so I posed a new question -How? My answer lay in doing more of the things that I already was doing but now, with more feverity and gumption; reading, thinking and hearing well informed people speak of the world's problems and their proposed solutions. Here in lay my starting point. Improving my knowledge and vocabulary regarding various global crises. I then decided to go further.I realised that there were these huge intellectual talking points in the world now and then there were the things that make people want to cry on the train home from work. I don’t deny the connection between these things as I feel that they are intertwinedone stemming from the other.But I also am of the opinion that preaching about oppression or colonialism is not going to make some-one's bad day significantly . better Loneliness, illness, heartbreak, apathy - these realistically are the epidemics plaguing people’s daily lives, the immediate things that are causing them pain. And how can I help that? Here, my research into culture jamming plays it’s part. I began searching for ways to reclaim mundane and necessary public space in order to bring some-thing of positive value to people’s days. I gathered inspirational quotes and messages from my past journals and from conversations with people in life and through social media. And I spread these messages via tear-off advertisements and bookmarks hidden in public library books. And from here ,they take on a life of their own, lying in wait for whomever may come across them.
Dervla McElvaney @theartofswellness Art, research,
Textile Culture Jamming Textile Culture Jamming This project began by documentation of the unloved This project by documentation thea daily places which are began experienced by everyoneofon unloved placesstairwells, which arestreet experienced basisbus stops, cornersby etc. And, everyone ontoa daily daily basisbus stops, though essential life, I found that stairwells, these places street essential to daily do corners not addetc. to And, Onesthough day, they detract life, I found that these places do not add to ones . day,about they detract . a way to use my research into So, I set finding I set about way use mythese research cultureSo, jamming andfinding activistaart totochange place’s into culture jamming and activist art to change value in peoples lives and to make them a positive these place’s value in peoples lives and to make experience. them a positive experience. My solution was to make a series of interactive My solution was todesigned make a series of interactive textile textile pieces for public space. When pieces designed public space. Whenbyone these one of thesefor pieces is encountered theof public pieces is by the in aadingy in encountered a dingy side street orpublic bus stop, personside canstreet or bus stop, a person can pull to out a strip ofof fabric to find pull out a strip of fabric find words positivity words ofand positivity and empowerment which then empowerment which they can thenthey keepcan with keep them with them in pocket their pocket or ,wallet , tied around in their or wallet tied around their their wrist bookmarkto toremind remindthem themofof wristor oras as their their new bookmark something in the world. something good ingood the world. This project was completed at my time at The Royal of Art, The Hague andtime wasat selected by the This Academy project was completed at my The Royal HeadsofofArt, Department to and be displayed in their Academy The Hague was selected by2019 the Open Day exhibition. Heads of Department to be displayed in their 2019 Open Day exhibition.
Prints Sketches
Collages
Meditative Making
CommunityMeditative workshop Making & book series
Community Workshop & Book Series
This project stemmed from my research into Activist Art. My understanding of activism is that it is an action or responce to a crisis- whether it be personal or on a more global scale This project stemmed from my research into what is happening I thought of how there is a mental health crisis in society today and decided to investigate currently in the artspecifically) world- activism art. Myeffects understanding how creating art (and textiles can have in theraputic and serves theof maker activism is that it is an action or response to a crisis- whether it in alleviating stress.
be personal or on a more global scale. I thought of how there One theme that kepthealth reoccurring mysociety researchtoday of artist’s engaging in activism was social is a mental crisisinin and how art (and textiles engagement. I decided that specifically) serve a purpose to the maker in its alleviation of stress and therapeutic properties. One theme that kept reoccurring in my research of artists engaging in activism was social engagement. And this was something that inspired me to plan and deliver a workshop in CB1 Limerick. This workshop saw community members using embroidery to work through some thought that was troubling them. Through the workshop, they came up with an inspirational saying , motto or prayer and chose their materials based on the mood of their chosen words (strong & bold or soft &calm colours and textures.) After the workshop I used the samples made by workshop goers to inspire more work. I began thinking of the two means of expression that I have always used - text and textile. Thinking of combining the two, I began looking at books and created an embroidered book ‘Journal Translations’ and an ‘Embroidery Diary’.
Journal Translations, embroidered book
Embroidery pieces by workshop goers
Workshop participants
Meditative Making Community Workshop
Habitat:Connection This Project focuses on the idea of connection. In nature, trees are connected to each other through a micro-root system. They use this connection to help one another and for the overall betterment of the collective environment. My work considers how this may be applied to humans. How our human habitats have suffered on account of the absence of human connection. So, my work strives to create connection in shared human spaces through colour, materials and the creation of complex, organic forms. This body of work was to manifest in the form of two sitespecific installations in the LSAD campus with the objective to make the space more engaging. The first installation was to be at the entrance of the Limerick School of Art & Design campus. A large knotting piece filled with non- recyclable waste plastics. I liked the idea of our college communicating with people driving and walking by, so that anyone who hasn’t been within our college could still be engaged in the conversation and part of the discourse. The second piece was intended to be a staircase installation in the Textiles building. Meters of tubing, filled with waste yarns from our department and local craftspeople, emphasised the value and beauty of all materials.
Lazaretto. noun. A quarantine station. ‘A vessel of isolation in fear of sickness, lazaretto is a word too familiar to us all. An anthology of stories and poems by the students of the University of Warwick’s MA in Writing, Lazaretto is a creative refuge from shared isolation. Through lockdowns and restrictions, these writers have escaped the confines of time and place by delving into the lyricism of poetry, venturing back in history, or embarking into fantastical realms. This is a showcase of what language is capable of. No matter the wreckage, no matter the ship, the works in this year’s edition were created while battling the same storm.’ Warwick Writing MA reached out to me to ask if I would design the cover art for their 2021 Anthology titled ‘Lazaretto’. I met with their publisihng team and developed designs stemming from a piece that they had liked from my design portfolio. Through a series of meetings, I adapted this piece to their theme, aesthetic preferences and made the artwork suitable for print.