The impact of Ardara within its surrounding environs can never be understated. It’s living landscape, the surrounding district, is a vital resource. However the interdependency between its need to attract tourists and that of carefully monitoring our impact is a delicate balance. We too will become the catalyst for its demise unless this is carefully governed. To consider this space / place in a meaningful sense there were two aspects which drew the artist to, both of which are essential and both are intertwined. It is that of the Owentocker river and the weaving heritage of Ardara, each of which serves as a life line to the area. The lines in the chosen forms are suggested by the movement of the river and that of the patterns / movements employed in the act of weaving. In Greek mythology Clotho is the spinner, spinning the thread of life from her distaff to her spindle. Then Lachesis, measures the thread of life with her rod, allotting us our portion and finally Atropos, the cutter of the thread.
It is she who chooses the manner of a person’s death.These characters are suggestive of the triple aspect of birth, life and death, aspects which are known and understood universally. Illustrated in the form of tree trunks these different elements are symbolically represented by the budding , knotting and callus formations employed in a tree’s growth, each telling of particular environmental and external conditions. As a result, the historical and environmental are intertwined, resulting in an artwork which can be interpreted on many levels and which has taken and which has taken its basis from Ardara’s past, but reconsiders its history in a more universal context.
The HEART Programme
It has been described as ‘unique’ – and the cross-border HEART programme is living up to that description!As the programme gathers momentum and is gaining increasing public and media attention, it’s time to highlight some of the outstanding outcomes of this creative and innovative project.
It is an equal partnership between Donegal County Council and Strabane District Council, with funding from Measure 1.4 of EU INTERREG IIIA Programme, Border Action, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the International Fund for Ireland, Donegal County Council and Strabane District Council. Twelve towns and villages across the two council areas were selected for the HEART programme, which entails environmental improvements, a shop front scheme and a specially commissioned piece of public art for each town or village.
These improvements and enhancements are sensitive and complementary to each locality, involve community participation and consultation – and ultimately combine to create and deliver a rural tourism and public art trail across both council areas, linked by themes based on their history and heritage.
The participating towns and villages in Donegal County Council are:
* Ardara * Ballybofey Stranorlar * Ballyshannon * Lifford * Moville * Ramelton * Raphoe
These complement the selected towns and villages in the Strabane District Council area, including:
* Castlederg * Donemana * Newtownstewart * Plumbridge * Sion Mills
One of the most imaginative and central parts of the HEART programme is the public art aspect. Internationally acclaimed and multi-award winning artists were selected to research local history and heritage, and create suitable and sensitive public art, as a long term tribute to each locality.