A series of films shown in our original Picture House as part of August Craft Month
Throughout the month of August, we'll be screening Film|Makers in our original Picture House, as part of August Craft Month!
Five makers were invited to produce new work in response to heritage footage from NI Screen's Digital Film Archive in celebration of Northern Ireland's rich craft landscape, past and present. These film show the makers’ responses alongside the archive footage that inspired them.
Film|Makers was made possible thanks to the initial support of R-Space Gallery, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, The Braid Mid-Antrim Museum, BFI Film Audience Network and BFI Unlocking Film Heritage awarding funds from the National Lottery. A special thanks to the original film makers and rights holders of the archive material that continues to be such a rich source of inspiration.
Featuring weaver Nicola Gates, this episode highlights the relationship between historical skills and contemporary making.
Nicola Gates is the founder of Olla Nua, a small weaving studio which creates hand woven textiles that add warmth, comfort and tactility to the modern home, plus accessories that can be carried or worn. The name ‘Olla Nua’ is derived from the Irish words for ‘new wool’, reflecting Nicola’s aim to interpret a traditional material and techniques in a modern and vibrant way.
Featuring basket-weaver Alison Fitzgerald in 1986 and 2016, at two stages of her career, alongside footage from the 1960s, this episode highlights the continuity between historical skills.
Alison Fitzgerald trained as a botanist before moving from England to Ireland in 1980. This background gave her a fascination with the many varieties of willow, and inspired her to try basket weaving. Her baskets are admired internationally for their subtle blends of natural bark colours, strong curves and tactile qualities.
After 25 years in South East England, Sharon Adams recently returned to Northern Ireland and now works from her rural home and studio in County Antrim, using traditional craft skills to make one-off sculptural pieces and small editions.
Her practice explores the theme of work and tools. Using wood, metal and textiles, she makes functionless tools which invite the viewer to imagine what they might be for and comments on the value of skilled making.
Sheena Devitt carves into stone and slate to create site specific sculptural artworks. The designs are inspired by and respond to the site's topography and history, its orientation and present inhabitants.
“When I first watched the archive I was struck by films made by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in the 1960s that showed how much large scale industries relied on traditional craft skills. I saw a parallel with development of the film industry in Northern Ireland over the past 15 years, which has created new opportunities for craft skills and a fresh energy from people coming to work here. This coming and going of people across the water got me thinking about the movement of water as a symbol of the enriching exchange of creativity that is taking place.” - Sheena Devitt
Ronan Lowery is a furniture maker who grew up in rural Donegal before moving to Connemara in 2005 to study at the renowned Furniture College at Letterfrack. He has a fascination for mathematics, and geometry is a strong influence in his work; sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle.
“For me, the archive footage inspires themes of storytelling, mark making and identity within the maker’s environment. In this piece I used laser engraving to mark the chair’s surface with distilled images from the footage as a means of telling the story of each maker; their process, tools, product and inspiration. I formed the curves by bent lamination as a response to the traditional method of steam-bending utilised by the bodhrán maker and the Lambeg drum makers.” - Ronan Lowery
About Film|Makers at Ulster Folk Museum
The films will be shown on a continuous loop in our original Picture House during the museum opening hours.
In partnership with NI Screen Digital Film Archive
Film|Makers is part of general admission tickets.
