A taste of the Hybrid lace conference in Limerick

 

This conference in Limerick was linked to two exhibitions of lace and interventions throughout the city by the artist NeSpoon whose work is shown below. We were welcomed by Jacqui Hayes from the Limerick Archives and then addressed by the Mayor of Limerick. The conference was opened by Dr Matthew Potter, Historian from the Limerick Archives and organiser of the event, who talked about the history of Limerick lace. Giordana Giache, Lecturer at the Limerick School of Art and Design and curator of the exhibitions, then spoke about the liminal space that exists between the traditional and contemporary and the creativity that can be found there.

Several papers considered this theme of the traditional and the contemporary. Veronica Stuart, the Chair of the Traditional Lace Makers of Ireland, shared some of her expertise in Irish laces and showed some lovely examples of antique and modern work. The researcher Dr Gail Baxter spoke about plain net, its history and decoration, and showed us beautiful examples of traditional and contemporary work. I described my historical research into Victorian domesticity and the gothic novels that critiqued it, which led to the ‘Whispering’ series of lace curtains (detail below) in which I use tambour lace to tell a tale and reflect on social issues.

History lecturer Dr Maura Cronin, explained how much lacemaking in Ireland had been linked to the relief of poverty through Boards set up to encourage Irish manufacture. She also gave my favourite quote of the day which was taken from a Cork newspaper in 1854 and referred to lacemaking as ‘a substitute for sluttish indolence’. Elite patronage of lacemaking was also discussed by Veronica Rowe, whose grandmother Florence Vere O’Brien had been instrumental in setting up the Limerick Lace School in the 19th century. Alex Ward, Curator at the National Museum of Ireland, spoke about the fashion for Irish laces during the 19th and early 20th century, and showed some lovely images and fashion plates. The paper by Dr Amanda Briggs-Goode, Head of Fashion at Nottingham Trent University, showed how lace design had been taught in Nottingham from examples in the NTU Lace Archive. While Shazia Boucher, Deputy Director of the Calais Lace Museum, spoke about the approach the Museum takes to the display of lace by highlighting both the industrial heritage and the fashion heritage.

Toni O’Malley spoke about the difference between an artist and a craftsperson and considered the difference in value ascribed to their work. The glass artist Roisin de Buitlear showed us images of her beautiful work (detail above), much of it embellished with fine engraved lace patterns. Roisin also started an animated discussion about the role of lace in the modern world and suggested that cities like Limerick should celebrate and own their lace heritage by weaving lace into everyday lives, for example by marking bicycle routes with lace patterns and decorating bins with lace motifs. A topic that left everyone with plenty of food for thought.