Self Heal 2024
Date: 2024
Dimensions: 1.8 m diameter
Materials: Ceramic
Techniques: Printed and impressed ceramics with coloured slips and glazes, high fired.
Commissioned by: Desertcreat committee funded through the Arts council of Northern Ireland REAP funding
Location: Exterior garden of Desertcreat Church of Ireland Community Hall, Desertcreat , Cookstown.
Description: To come together to make, talk and grow.
The aim of this community project was to provide a space to develop and expand skills in ceramics and writing with local groups from all different ages and backgrounds. Desertcreatives and Newmills Gardening Club with members of the wider community came together with Diane McCormick and Maura Johnston facilitating.
Concept: Selfheal is a small native wildflower herb used worldwide to heal wounds. It acts as a painkiller, an antiviral and for various other medical conditions such as osteoarthritis, high blood pressure and cancer
treatments.
The aim of this project is to bring different groups together to help heal negative feelings due to the past few years of pandemic isolation. Workshops in ceramics and writing with Maura Johnston gave everyone
a chance to come together to put their thoughts down on clay. Experiences and feelings that cropped up were made into poems or prose, pulling up memories, both good and bad, of life experiences
and past events. Ceramic workshops developed these words into images and patterns to create a circular healing space with garden seats and planters in the centre of the community garden behind the
hall at Desertcreat.
This is phase 2 of the garden area, the first project involved creating ceramic flowers and garden planters along with a wall artwork.
A truly lovely space to sit and contemplate, take in the nature beside the river and be at peace.
