26 Days of Dreams from the Night Garden - Day 1

Day 1 (Easter Monday 1st April 2013) was drawn outside the space to allow more time for the initial installation, orientation and introductions to security people.

26 Days of Dreams from The Night Garden

I have been given kind permission to make a series of drawings in the atrium of the administrative offices of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. 

The piece is entitled "26 Days of Dreams from The Night Garden." 

I have installed a blackboard (80 x 80cm) on an easel in front of a large bed of subtropical plants with a small frame stating the name of the piece. No other information has been provided for the staff.

Blackboard at IBTS

Title handwritten on a flyleaf page of a book (with foxing)

 Each night after the majority of staff have gone home I come in and do the evening's drawing to be viewed the next morning.

Growth of the pieces over the duration of the exhibition.  "This Too Will Pass" was trimmed after 2 weeks and again after 4 weeks - the growth rate was impressive.

2 weeks growth

2 weeks growth

Aquilegia (Magpie) after two weeks

Euphorbia - after two weeks

'Untitled' [Edible Memories] after two weeks growth

'Untitled' [Edible Memories] after four weeks growth

4 weeks growth

4 weeks growth

4 weeks growth

Wake - Droichead Arts Centre - Opening Night

A really great turnout for the opening night! :)
(Thursday 3rd May 2012)

Marcella Bannon (Director Droichead Arts Centre), Roger O'Neill, Paul Hickey, Jane Locke and Judy Foley.

Judy Foley

Paul Hickey

Roger O'Neill

Wake Exhibition - May/June 2012

Welcome to news@janelocke.ie.  The purpose of this blog is to provide the most up to date information on my work and will include images and descriptions of works in development.

The Wake exhibition which opened Thursday 3rd of May and will run until the end of June includes one of the most ambitious growing pieces that I have made to date.  The following images provide an insight into the creation of the "This Too Will Pass" piece.

Making one of the hanging balls

Initially I used a mixture of Bonsai soil and a free draining compost but found that the pieces dried out too quickly, so I began to use a heavier moisture retaining compost.  Small mementoes such as coins, keys and hair were worked into the soil or allowed to dangle freely from string used to hold the forms.

The hanging balls were grown over a number of months

 

 

The larger floor piece required considerable planning so as not to damage the gallery floor (parquet) and to ensure that the piece would survive the two month duration of the exhibition.


A large hessian (sack-cloth) sphere was cut and sewn to provide support and substrate for the grass mound and plants.

Cutting hessian into 8 pieces to form a sphere - making use of geometrical calculations.

Sewing the pieces together

The images below show the process of installation of the piece.  The floor was protected using clear vinyl or heavy plastic sheeting.  A modified children's paddling pool supported the main mound under the grass.  The grass rolls were cut with a scissors like fabric, clipping the curves to ensure a smooth form over the mound before being pinned in place using custom made steel pins.  Mint, climbers and ferns were planted into the grass mound.

The hanging balls were hung from hooks on nylon lines which were strung from the bar traversing the skylight above.