A new exhibition in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter is exploring the connection between music and making, with handcrafted jewellery, ceramics, textiles and furniture created by 18 artists from across the island of Ireland.
Rhythm is hosted by Craft NI, the organisation that supports Northern Ireland’s craft sector. Fourteen of the featured artists are from Northern Ireland, and each has interpreted an aspect of music—including rhythm, harmony or lyrics—through their work.
Artists draw on landscapes and sound
Antrim ceramic artist Nicola Dalton is among those taking part. Her stoneware vessel, Breath of the Lough, draws on the natural surroundings of Lough Neagh, where she is based.
“Breath of the Lough was inspired by the vibrancy of natural sounds and simultaneous quiet found at Lough Neagh, where I live.”
Ms Dalton said the sounds of birdsong, insects, waves and rustling grass had reminded her of the interdependence of the lough’s fragile ecosystem. She added that Lough Neagh was “very much alive”, but currently under stress and “breathing at a slower pace”. Her work connects the sounds and visual beauty of the lough with her hope that its ecological rhythm and balance will be restored.
Belfast-based hand weaver and visual artist Karen Hamilton is showing The Light We Can See, a double ikat and handwoven piece inspired by a Fermanagh sunset, light and the way colour is seen.
Ms Hamilton worked in a government job for 20 years before changing direction and graduating last year with a degree in Textile Art, Design and Fashion from Ulster University. She describes weaving as her music, saying that rhythm, texture, repetition and time are built into each piece, while colour acts as the melody.
“However, I feel that it is always the light that brings harmony through the interaction with the surface of the woven structure.”
Ceramics shaped by musical composition
Ceramicist Corinne Price created Vessel with Teal and Orange Vertical Lines after listening to Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. The artist, who is based in Lisburn and originally comes from Wirral in England, used clay to explore rhythm, repetition and layering.
The porcelain vessel was made using the Japanese techniques of nerikomi and neriage, which combine hand-building and wheel-throwing with coloured clay formed into patterns. Ms Price said the vessel’s horizontal swirl and vertical lines were intended to reflect different elements of Reich’s composition, including its polyrhythmic textures, layered vocals and individual musicians.
She said creative influences from her family and earlier life had continued into her work. Although she does not usually listen to music while making, she said she had internalised it and that it emerged vocally and physically in everyday life.
“Rhythm becomes visual in my work now.”
Where to see the Belfast exhibition
The pop-up is being held at Craft NI Gallery on Royal Avenue in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter. It is scheduled to run until August 28, and visitors can buy a selection of the pieces displayed in the exhibition directly from the gallery.
The exhibition may interest Armagh readers looking for Northern Ireland arts and cultural events, although the supplied information places the event in Belfast rather than Armagh.