Weaving through time

3 layer screenprint on calico.
The inspiration for this piece is the part of the Liberties in Dublin 8 known as ‘Tenters’. It has this name because in the 16/1700s this area was home to ‘tenterfields’, which were part of the area’s wool, silk and poplin weaving industry. Tenterfields were fields in which the fabric was stretched out to dry in the sun, attached to large frames called ‘tenters’ with hooks called ‘tenterhooks’. There was already a weaving industry in this area in Dublin, but it developed even further with the arrival of Huguenot weavers in the late 17th century, they left France and mainland Europe because of religious persecution.

The place names in the area, as well as the architecture reflects this influence. A characteristic style of building in the area at the time were ‘Dutch Billy’ houses, especially in Newmarket Square, Sweeney’s Lane and Weavers’ Square. The focus for this project was to use layers to show the changing area over time and to highlight some of the perhaps forgotten history. I used maps as the visual elements to portray this.

A housing scheme called the Fairbrothers’ Fields is located in the area where the tenterfields were, and this year, 2022, is its 100 year anniversary, so it seemed apt to focus on this. I decided to use the map showing the tenterfields along with a new map of the same area, layering the two to show the differences and give a sense of travelling through time. The layered/overprinted maps are combined with other graphic elements of repeated lines to symbolise time passing/threads in fabric. Bright fluorescent colours are used for the maps, so that they have a modern feel alongside the bold graphic elements. This piece is part of a series based on the Tenters area of the Liberties in Dublin 8.