Remembering the Troubles in Stitch, Sound and Word

Eileen Harrisson

doi:10.15664/jtr.1599

Abstract

This article discusses how the medium of hand stitch in relation with sound and the poetic word brings particular properties to the act of remembering. It explores what it means to document remembered events verbally and through art and the rôle played by the senses, including that of hearing, prompted by the medium of textile. The nature of the experience of trauma is addressed and what personal recollection can bring to the understanding of the affects of conflict on society, including vulnerable groups such as children, and how stitched work is a metaphor for the act of healing.

Highlights

My work in Belfast meant that I experienced at first hand the effect of almost daily bombings on the body, mind and psyche and, through the haptic tactility of the medium of stitch, a medium practised mostly by women, this personal history brings the voice of the feminine within the masculine narrative of conflict
I returned to Northern Ireland in part because of the severity of the illness which had seen my father invalided out of the RAF during World War II, working in Belfast at the height of the Troubles until my marriage in December 1981 entailed a move to England
The Civil Rights March, Londonderry, in 1968 is regarded as the beginning of the violence that was to affect every aspect of life in Northern Ireland but it was not until much later when I embarked on my PhD in Fine Art at Aberystwyth University that I began to explore my experiences of this time through art

Summary

Introduction

My work in Belfast meant that I experienced at first hand the effect of almost daily bombings on the body, mind and psyche and, through the haptic tactility of the medium of stitch, a medium practised mostly by women, this personal history brings the voice of the feminine within the masculine narrative of conflict.

Results

Conclusion