The Invisible Sorceress
Gemma Browne
Dé Luain 10 Lúnasa - Dé Luain 16 Samhain 2020
In Course of Rearrangement
Marielle MacLeman
Déardaoin 24 Eanáir - Dé Domhnaigh 10 Márta 2019
The LAB Gallery in association with Galway Arts Centre is pleased to present this exhibition of new work by Marielle MacLeman directly responding to histories of enterprise, labour and land use in Dublin's Liberties.
Two hundred years after the Earl of Meath was told a greater return could be made growing grass than collecting weaver’s rents, Dublin City Council was developing green spaces for the Buddleja-infested sites, as the title borrowed from museology suggests, in course of rearrangement. Early in her research, Weaver Park, Dublin’s newest public park following extensive public consultation, was bordered by construction mesh and the National Museum of Ireland, home to the remnants of The Liberties weaving industry and another site for research, was itself shrouded in blue netting.
MacLeman articulates the interrelationship of inner city built and natural environments through materials inspired by or directly sourced in the area. Buddleja davidii, introduced from China in the late 1800s, is harvested from waste ground to dye a rug made of Irish wool, a by-product largely considered of little value and exported to China for use in the carpet industry. Upstairs at The LAB, MacLeman gilds and ‘prints’ with the first cut of grass from the now open Weavers Park, the handmade paper commemorating a new era in the site’s history.
‘In course of rearrangement’ was developed during a Dublin City Council residential residency supported by Galway City Council. The exhibition and forthcoming publication were supported by an Arts Council Project Award and will tour to Galway Arts Centre in March 2019.
Born Scotland and based in Galway, Marielle MacLeman studied Drawing and Painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee and works across drawing, installation, and participatory approaches. Recent solo exhibitions include The Dock and NUI Galway with group shows in the UK, Ireland, France and Italy. Her projects have been supported by awards from The Scottish Arts Council, Glasgow City Council, The Arts Council of Ireland, and Galway City Council.
The exhibition was opened by Dr. Lisa Godson, Director MA Design History and Material Culture.
