Seaweed stories was a six month long project inviting the community in North clare to explore the Liscannor Bay coastline together, tracing forgotten lines of connection between land, sea, story, and people. The work is a collection of prints, samples and photography by participants made over the course of the project.

It brought together people who live in the area who have been engaged in water and marine protection, alongside those interested in seaweed, local heritage, story and creative responses to climate challenges. Guided by Maeve Stone and Alex Gill with Anya Matushkina in collaboration with organic horticulturist and forager Oonagh O’Dwyer. through a series of workshops we learned to read tides and textures, forage respectfully, and explore seaweed as food, fertiliser, habitat, and an ally in climate resilience.

WORKSHOPS

Eight monthly workshops culminated with an exhibition displaying works created by many of the participants who joined us along the way. Work including Cyanthratype printing, Lino printing and Macro photography were exhibited in the Courthouse Gallery in Ennistymon Co. Clare. We also included information on the history of Seaweed industries in Co Clare, how to forage and cook different species of Seaweed and we directed the public to engage with other groups in West Clare who are involved in the conservation and preservation of waterways, the sea and the land.

Our community wall where we displayed information about many of the organisations engaged in environmental conservation in the North Clare area. We also invited members of the public to share their memories and relationship to the coastline.

Macro Photography taken by the participants using their phones and a macro lens attachment

Each participant had at least two photographs on display

Seaweed pressings by Oonagh O’Dwyer, framed and displayed carefully in the space.

The centrepiece of the exhibition, our dining table featuring a seaweed recipe book and edible dried seaweed sample.

As part of the Seaweed Stories project, community members gathered to taste, learn, and talk about seaweed, recording their thoughts and experiences directly onto fabric tablecloths. These marked cloths became the basis for aSeaweed Stories Tapestry made by artist Katerina Gribkoff. In developing the work, the artist walked the coastline in Clare, gathering seaweed that was later used to dye pieces of fabric, (pale yellows and greys). She also incorporated naturally dyed textiles from her studio, including fabrics coloured with plant chlorophyll extract (bright greens), indigo (blues), and Burren-grown madder (reddish-brown) and weld (pale green). The finished tapestry was inspired by the coastline in Clare and the shapes and colours of seaweed. The stitched-together stories and images reflect a community that is curious to discover more about this abundant resource, and a shared desire to connect through sharing memories of the coast and of the seaweed that can be found there.

Materials: cotton calico fabric; marker; cotton thread & batting; up-cycled cottons and linens dyed with kelp, iron, chlorophyll extract, indigo, madder, and weld.