Cut From The Same Cloth
26 September - 25 October
Free to visit during opening times and evening events
Cut From The Same Cloth comprises a tapestry; research patterns printed on fabric; photographs by Anthony Hobbs of 40 pieces of fabric held in the hands of their owners; and short videos by Crannog Media offering a window into the lives of 40 women who call Ireland home.
Exhibition Reception on Friday 26th sept, 5pm
Free to attend, all welcome. Please pre-book here
This free event is an opportunity to learn more about the stories behind the Cut From The Same Cloth exhibition and about the large handwoven tapestry on display. The event will consist of a talk by Lorna Donlon the project artist, two UCD health researchers and women from local minority communities, all of whom are participants in the Cut From The Same Cloth project.
Honouring the power of human trust and connection, this exhibition is a song to cloth and to story. Icon, symbol, talisman, relic, portal, cure: cloth, imbued with meaning, is a carrier of story; a universal language, spoken without words. As people, made from a set of biological materials, we share the same internal patterning of cells and tissue structures. Using stains and fluorescent dyes, biomedical researchers have developed ways to see these patterns and structures hidden within us. Reimagined as fabric, they illustrate how we are all cut from the same cloth.
Cut From The Same Cloth strives to forge connections between UCD Conway Institute biomedical research scientists and women in minority communities in Ireland. The Patient Voice in Health Research initiative connects the human lived experience of illness to the study of disruptions in the internal patterns and structures within us.
The ‘Cut From The Same Cloth’ exhibition comprises a tapestry; research patterns printed on fabric; photographs by Anthony Hobbs of 36 pieces of fabric held in the hands of their owners; and short videos by Crannóg Media offering a window into the lives of 36 women who call Ireland home.
www.cutfromthesamecloth.org
During ten Get Togethers in 2024, researchers from UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research met with women from minority communities across Ireland, to facilitate the building of lasting relationships for future integration of minority voices in UCD Conway’s Patient Voice in Health Research Initiative.
Through this project, the artists & researchers were delighted to meet a community from Portlaoise at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, members of the Muslim Sisters of Éire in the Hunt Museum, Limerick and in Cáirde, Balbriggan; the Venezuelan community at the National Museum at Collins Barracks; members of Ukrainian and African communities at St Canice’s Community Centre in Kilkenny; members of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani and Kashmiri communities at An Táin Arts Centre in Dundalk; women from Roscommon Women’s Network, the Irish Traveller community and local women in Roscommon Arts Centre; women from Kippure Reception Centre at UCD Ardmore House; women from Balseskin Reception Centre at Museum of Literature Ireland and young women from Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School, in UCD Conway Institute.
Standing on common ground, the role of fabric and cloth in our lives was the focus of stories exchanged at these Get Togethers. Researchers had the honour of hearing inspiring stories from all the amazing women they met across Ireland.The women who came along to share their stories saw the patterns and colours of biomedical research printed on fabric and heard stories about current research into diseases areas such as ovarian, prostate and breast cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, nutrition in pregnancy, bacterial vaccines, motor neuron disease, skin burn wounds, rare respiratory diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also shared stories about personal pieces of fabric.
This exhibition comes to Dunamaise in August – September 2025 as part of a national tour:17 April – 29 May: The Hunt Museum, Limerick 7 June – 5 July: Mayfair Library, Kilkenny 15 July – 14 Sept: Pearse Museum, Rathfarnham Dublin 26 Sept – 25 Oct: Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise 14 Nov – 19 Dec: Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon