Artist announced for N5 Mayo public art commission
JAMES Winnett has been announced by Mayo County Council as the successful artist for the public art commission on the N5 Westport to Turlough road project.
Winnett’s project, The Touchstones, will consist of a series of intricately carved stones located in Islandeady, Breaffy and Turlough- Parke.
Each community will have its own distinctive artwork(s) incorporating imagery, narrative carving and text that will reflect the distinct character and qualities of the area where they are sited.
The stones will be carved by hand using traditional techniques. The final location of the artworks will be decided in consultation with each community.
James Winnett is an artist, stone carver and workshop leader interested in the crossovers between sculpture, archaeology, folklore, place and memory.
He holds a Masters of Fine Art from the Glasgow School of Art and has worked in public art for 15 years, having produced and installed approximately 50 large stone public artworks in public spaces in the UK and Ireland.
Recently he completed a public art project in Kerdiffstown Park in Kildare. As part of this project he has been researching and developing work within an Irish context with a focus on landscape, archaeology, folklore and storytelling.
He is looking forward to working on the project, stating: “Over the coming months I'll be exploring the distinct identities of each area, gathering stories and deepening my understanding of the way that people have related to these landscapes over time.
“I've always been interested in the way that stories and memory reside in a place and in thinking about how a series of artworks might promote moments of curiosity and connection. It's a great project to be a part of and I'm excited to see how it develops.”
As part of the project James will undertake research in each area; getting to the know the people and stories that have shaped its past and present. Through community engagement he will identify key themes, interests and ideas in each area that will inform the content and design of the final artworks.
He will be facilitating workshops in each community in May, and this will be the first of a programme of events which will take place in 2023.
The first workshops will give communities an insight into his artistic practice and stone carving. Workshop details are:
Islandeady, Tuesday, May 9, 4.30 - 6.30 p.m., Islandeady Community Centre;
Turlough and Parke, Wednesday, May 10, 6 - 8 p.m., Turlough Community Centre;
Breaffy, Thursday, May 11, 5 - 7 p.m., Breaffy National School.
Come along and meet the artist, learn about his artwork and have a go at soap stone carving (depending on numbers). Attendees should be aged 12 plus. All locals are welcome. There's no need to book, just come along.
This project is part of Mayo County Council’s Public Art Programme, funded under the Per Cent for Art Scheme by Transport Infrastructure Ireland as part of the N5 Westport to Turlough road project and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.