From nettles to ink: Kilkenny workshop connects art and biodiversity

A visual artist and ecofeminist created nature-themed banners displayed across Co Kilkenny for National Biodiversity Week. Free events run across the county until Sunday, May 24, including guided walks and talks such as bat walks, farm and river walks, and a dusk chorus at Kilkenny Castle grounds. A key event is the Weedy Inks Workshop at Workhouse Union in Callan during the Callan Open Doors Festival on Saturday, May 23. Members of the public can block-print cotton patches for sewing and mending using printing inks made from native plants including nettles, dock, and ivy. The workshop runs from 12pm to 3pm and is facilitated by Hollie Kearns and Michelle McMahon, who focus on improving and protecting local biodiversity and engaging communities through printmaking.

"Members of the public are invited to come along and block-print cotton patches for sewing and mending, using printing inks made from native plants such as nettles, dock and ivy. Facilitated by Hollie Kearns, curator of the Colour Field Project and Michelle McMahon, the Weedy Inks Workshop runs from 12pm to 3pm."

"Across the county, a series of free events is being held in conjunction with National Biodiversity Week until Sunday, May 24, including a number of guided walks and talks such as a bat walk, a farm and river walk and a dusk chorus on the grounds of Kilkenny Castle."

"Michelle McMahon explained: "I love printmaking, I find it's an effective medium for engaging with different community groups and telling a collective story," Michelle explained. "I love working with communities and using my craft to help raise awareness around equality and environmental issues.""

"Previously, Michelle worked with biodiversity officer with Kilkenny County Council, Bernadette Moloney, on a Creative Ireland project called Biodiversity on the Block to help raise awareness around biodiversity and the importance of its protection. "My colleague Noortje van Deursen and I facilitated Biodiversity on the Block print workshops around the county, with various community groups, including Ossory Youth, a farming community in Graiguenamanagh and national schools in Mullinavat, Kilkenny City and Stoneyford.""

Read at Irish Independent