Hedgerows

“The fields between the lakes are small, separated by thick hedges of whitethorn, ash, blackthorn, alder, sally, rowan, wild cherry, green oak, sycamore, and the lanes that link them under the Iron Mountains are narrow, often with high banks. The hedges are the glory of these small fields, especially when the hawthorn foams into streams of blossom each May and June. The sally is the first tree to green and the first to wither, and the rowan berries are an astonishing orange in the light from the lakes every September. These hedges are full of mice and insects and small birds, and sparrow hawks can be seen hunting all through the day. In their branches the wild woodbine and dog rose give off a deep fragrance in summer evenings, and on their banks grow the foxglove, the wild strawberry, primrose and fern and vetch among the crawling briars.” John Mc Gahern, Memoir, 2005

The Dock in partnership with Carrigallen Vocational School presents an exhibition of artwork by 1st and 2nd year art students in response to the growing need for awareness of our natural environment. The exhibition reflects their observations of nature, in particular their observations of our Leitrim hedgerows.

Through the mediums of painting, ceramic sculpture, and hand-drawn digital animations, an immersive experience has brought about an understanding in the students of the importance of our hedgerows for carbon capture, as habitat corridors for a very wide range of bird, animal and invertebrate species, including many threatened ones and for beauty and landscape identity.

The small 14cm x 14cm acrylic paintings are snapshots of intimate sections of Leitrim hedgerows and the ceramic sculptures are the imaginary responses of the students to the creatures that are supported by the hedgerows. Also on show are a series of animations that the students created of their ‘Hedgerow Creatures’ in action.

The exhibition is on show at The Dock, The Jury Room Café, Monday to Saturday for the summer months.