People living in Ireland, who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 in Ireland and Northern Ireland, are invited to share their story of loss with Lost Lace: a visual art and poetry commemoration to the lives lost.
Anyone can share a few words about their loved one in the 'Share Your Story Of Loss' section of http://www.lostlace.com until 31st October 2022.
The words of loss that are shared on the website will provide inspiration for the poet Jessica Traynor to compose four poems to commemorate the lives of loved ones who have died from Covid-19 in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The recital of the poems and the launch of the outdoor installation 'Lost Lace' by visual artist Miriam Mc Connon will take place in October 2022 at the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin.
The project 'Lost lace' is a collaborative project between the visual artist Miriam Mc Connon and the poet Jessica Traynor with the engaged participation of the families who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 in Ireland.
Miriam Mc Connon's outdoor installation 'Lost Lace' is made up of approximately ten thousand white roses made by the artist from individual white handkerchiefs. The artist proposes to place the roses around the two fountains at Dublin's Iveagh gardens. The handkerchief roses will form a delicate pattern of traditional Irish Lace. Each Handkerchief rose symbolizes a life lost in Ireland and Northern Ireland due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Each single handkerchief rose in this installation references the small cloths or 'clooties' that were hung traditionally on trees near the site of holy wells in Pagan Ireland. The handkerchief was believed to drive illness away by absorbing it. The artist has chosen to place them in a floral lace pattern hinting at the concept of the man-made object imitating nature in an attempt to find resolve.
The single rose is a symbol of devotion. Here this devotion becomes collective, signifying the national and personal loss. This installation urges the public to not lose sight of the individual life, the single rose. In this installation Mc Connon emphasises the solitary path of individual grief in unison with the national and collective loss, urging the people of Ireland to unite in grief and in the commemoration of the lives lost to Covid 19.
The poet Jessica Traynor will be commissioned to write a series of four poems, taking as a guiding principle the ambition to honour those things we have lost in the past two years - people, skills, art, connection. She will explore and respond to themes such as the lost art of Irish lacemaking, the ancient practice of tying 'clooties' at holy wells, and the words and messages submitted on the projects website by those who have lost friends and relatives to covid 19 in Ireland. She will weave these themes together through poetry that will also be accessible to the public through the use of QR codes allowing visitors to the Iveagh Gardens access to a transcript of the poems, and a recording of the poet reading them.
Thee launch of the project will take place on the 15th October 2022. The installation will remain in place for two weeks. At launch of the project the Families of the victims of Covid-19 will be invited to gather together to hear the recital of the four poems by Jessica Traynor and to see the outdoor installation Lost Lace by Miriam Mc Connon. The Location of the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin provides a perfect enclosed and private setting for the people of Ireland alongside the families of those who have died from Covid 19 to come together and collectively support each other and mourn the individual and the collection loss.
The project is supported by Dublin City Arts Office and the OPW.
