Image courtesy of the project
TMB Club
25 March to 29 March 2022
11am - 5pm
Tuesday to Saturday
Free Admission
Opening
25 March 2022 4pm - 6pm
Tipping the Balance
A series of hand painted porcelain panels with found objects inspired by our heritage and landscape.
This project was made possible thanks to funding from the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland’s Arts & Older People Programme and support from
the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Facilitated by Artist in Residence Lucy Turner.
About The Exhibition
The group of prisoners at HMP Maghaberry are known now as the TMB Club (to many birthdays) have created the work for this exhibition. We started this project initially to create a series of drawings depicting visual motifs that acknowledge areas in Northern Ireland that are either culturally rich, visually stimulating or have natural beauty. They sequentially became a series of porcelain panels; artworks for the entrance lobby of the many hostels in Northern Ireland that house men when they leave prison. It’s an unfortunate fact that older men (on leaving prison) who are housed in a hostel environment feel particularly isolated. It is hoped that the artwork hand crafted by prisoners offers a sense of belonging, and that recognisable places both natural and manmade would contribute to a positive and welcoming start to their journey on ‘the outside’.
Throughout the creative process discussions moved away from the ideal of home being bricks and mortar refocusing on a place to call your own, for stability and comfort a haven a place that offers peace of mind. Given the media attention that is increasing - plastic waste and pollution, the removal of green spaces for town planning including hedgerows, dry stone walls and ditches being iconic features of Northern Ireland's landscape and a vital lifeline for wild species such as birds, badgers, bats and foxes etc., we are aware that our need for private space is impacting on our natural heritage.
The question is where do you draw the line?
The global population continues to rise, homes are needed but the planet is swamped with an exhausting amount of rubbish and spent materials. Tipping the Balance responds to the misuse of materials and the impact on our native species while acknowledging and celebrating the beauty of the natural and manmade in Northern Ireland
About The Artist
Lucy Turner, facilitator for this project, is from Bangor, Ireland, and holds an MFA from the UK’s University of Ulster. She worked in WSW’s Etching studio, using salt etching and chine colle to create abstract prints and paper sculptures inspired by the cultural and environmental landscape of Rosendale. In Ireland, Lucy works with underserved children, inmates, and hospital patients on commissioned public sculpture projects.