Fóidín Mearbhaill - A Field in Transition

Fóidín Mearbhaill - A Field in Transition a Public Art Project Directed by John Langan

An exhibition of Fóidín Mearbhaill-A field in transition and the project website, www.foidinmeara.com will be launched at 7pm in Ballymote Enterprise Centre on Friday 27th November.

Fóidín Mearbhaill or Meara is according folklore, especially in the West of Ireland, a widely-held superstition that the fairies sometimes put a spell on a piece of earth, usually a sod of grass.  Whoever inadvertently steps upon it loses their way at once and cannot find an exit until the fairies tire of their game and at last throw open the unseen doors. It is also widely believed that one can counter the spell by turning one's coat inside out and so wearing it.

In this case, it is the artist and those who stepped into the field in Carrowcauly, Ballymote, who became the enchanted ones.  Fóidín Meara is an artistic engagement with a place and its people which examines the transformation and diversity of rural Sligo.

In autumn 2007 John Langan asked Mary McDonagh of Sligo Arts Service to help him find a random field where he might base his work.  The selection was based on an investigation of the County Council’s current land bank with particular reference to the south of the county. As a result, a site of approximately 1.2 acres was chosen, close to the town of Ballymote in the town land of Carrowcauley or Earlsfield, in the parish of Emlaghfad.  This began an artistic process that involved an on-site residency by the artist and a collaboration between an archaeologist, horticulturalist, farmer, website designer and others.  The planting of flax, the creation of a crop drawing and the discovery of two roadways through an archaeological survey of the field are just some of the fascinating actions directed by the artist during his time in Ballymote.

John Langan has found a way of representing the transition of a rural site in an imaginative and multi-dimensional way.  The past, present and the future of the field is transformed through the artist’s eyes. 

The website, www.foidinmeara.com which will be available from 27th November will echo the enchanting experience of the Fóidín Mearbhaill and will be a wonderful education and information resource for local people and those interested in the evolution of rural Ireland from many aspects. 

The exhibition will be opened by John Cunningham, Curator, Regional Culture Centre, Letterkenny between 7 and 9pm at Ballymote Enterprise Centre, Emmet St, Ballymote and afterwards there will be a post launch party at Hayden's Bar O'Connell Street, Ballymote, Sligo

Fóidín Mearbhaill-A field in transition, is part of Unravelling Developments, a series of public art commissioned by Sligo County Council and curated by Joe Lee.  The commission was funded by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government Per Cent for Art Scheme.

The Exhibition will be open to the public on Monday-Friday 27th November to 18th December from 10.00am-1.00pm and 2.00pm-4.30pm in the Ballymote Enterprise Centre.

Further information from the Public Art Officer, Sligo Arts Service, Sligo County Council, Development Centre, Cleveragh Road, Sligo.

Telephone: 071 911 1822  
Email: mmcdonag@sligococo.ie

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