Snailspace residency, Co. Donegal
Taking a rhubarb pie infested break with Julie at Glenveagh National Park
Equipped with an (almost) kelly-green tablecloth, I had last week the good fortune to share a residency with artist Julie Griffith at Bumblebee Cottage in the small village of Dunkineely, Co. Donegal. Julie and I met first at the Culture Crops/ cultural practices in non-urban territories in Kontanz a few months before the pandemic. Since then we have been working on and off together, exchanging ideas of what working in the rural in a meaningful way can mean.
Coming from a background in textiles, Julie has a strong interest in making things in collaboration with rural communities. This led in the past to the growing of a flaxfield in the village of Mount Charles, and to the folding of bread in collaboration with a locally based manor house, or the making of a spiralling path, made by repeated walking. Julie also has a deep interest in working with refugees and other displaced people. So, there is a lot to share between us.
During our little intensive we combined all of this with walking, talking, cooking and embroidering the cloth, as we moved along with our conversations. A pattern evolved that now requires some serious composting.
Highlights were:
Walking barefoot the peatlands of the area
A make-shift illustrated artists’ talk by Julie talking about her amazing projects: Linen, Walking, Bread…
Walking Sliabh Liag, apparently the highest (accessible?) sea cliffs in Europe
Hiking the hilly wetland landscape along the loch at Glenveagh National Park (22km)
Cooking locally caught mackerel, Gulasch mit Knödel, Hackfleischpfannkuchen
Colmcilles Well (bizarre1)
Visiting other art organisations in Donegal and neighbouring Co. Leitrim
Drinking Guinness at Mac’s Bar
Counting bumblebees in Bumblebee cottage
The outcomes are plentyful. New life for Snailspace, maybe a pilgrimage is in the making. There is now also a kind of competition underway. Who is faster: me finishing the Snailspace tablecloth, or Julie finishing the Snailspace website. Watch this space.
