MATERIALisation 

LINEN BIENNALE 2023, Revive and Renew
R-Space Gallery, Northern Ireland

“The Linen Biennale is a cultural festival that stimulates new thinking about Ireland’s oldest textile, linen. Rooted in heritage, the Linen Biennale forms a bridge to connect Northern Ireland’s internationally renowned linen heritage with contemporary uses.” Anthea McWilliams and Robert Martin, R-Space Gallery, Lisburn Northern Ireland

Linen Biennale, Threads Unpicked, Blog Post

During the evening launch of the exhibition Connected Emotions by Jill Phillips art therapists Pamela Whitaker and Bridget Nugent facilitated self-care rituals with participants both individually and collectively. They enacted becoming in relation to the material (and fabric) of peoples’ lives. There were opportunities for personalised encounters, performative remedies and collective ceremony. 

“Cloth is intimate, another skin, a boundary and a caress. It designates function and also entwines a story.”

MATERIALisation was supported by Belfast School of Art.