An artist needs a hand — well, 42 hands to be exact — to help commemorate the legacy of one of Ireland’s great textile firms.
Visual artist Katie Nolan has invited former workers of Youghal Carpets in Cork to attend a special hand-casting event on Saturday as part of a novel multi-disciplinary arts project which aims to remember and record the legacy of the former carpets company which closed 22 years ago with the loss of hundreds of jobs.
“I hope to capture the unique aspect of each individual hand,” Ms Nolan said. “My intention is to make a faithful and potent representation of the manual skill and labour that was part of the Youghal Carpet workforce.”
Youghal Carpets, which opened in 1969, manufactured raw materials for carpet makers and exported chiefly to European and US markets. It was famous for supplying materials which carpeted the palace of the Sultan of Brunei and casinos in Las Vegas.
At the height of its success, it employed more than 600 people, and was one of the largest employers in region. At one stage, its Youghal and Carrigtwohill plants worked 24/7 churning out carpets, with local priests opting to celebrate mass for the workforce inside the plants themselves.
But in the 1990s, as the flooring market changed, the company underwent a series of rationalisation plans and takeovers, before it was acquired in 2000 by US-based businessman George Courri.
And after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the firm’s US business plummeted, and its trading losses accelerated. The company closed in 2002 with the loss of 260 jobs.
Management at the time said the downturn in demand for carpets had worldwide repercussions for the industry and the raw materials for carpet-making which it supplied.
As part of her Creating Connections art project, supported by Creative Ireland and Cork County Council, Ms Nolan has set out to remember and record the company’s legacy.
She has held workshops with some former Youghal Carpets workers, and she has acquired some of the company’s original wool from the 1970s, as well as some original company documents.
She copied the documents, shredded and pulped the copies, and mixed that pulp with some of the original wool fibres to create handmade paper which will be used in the final art work.
But on Saturday, she plans to create some of what is likely to be the most evocative elements of the project.
She needs 42 people with a connection to the company to attend Greywood Arts Centre in Killeagh between 10am and 5pm on Saturday to participate in a hand-casting day.
The 42 hand sculptures will represent the 42 workers that were required to prepare the company’s high-end, highly patterned Jacquard looms before the machines could weave a carpet.
She will cast the hands using hand moulds and alginate, a low toxic natural substance made from seaweed that is skin safe.
“I’m not just looking for weavers and spinners. I am looking for admin and office staff, welders, the maintenance team, canteen staff, anyone that had a connection to the company. If your grandmother, or uncle worked there, you’re more than welcome too,” she said.
The casting process should take no more than 45 minutes and a team will be on hand to record peoples’ stories, if they would like.
The plaster sculptures will then become a key part of the wider art exhibition in Youghal next year on the historical, social, cultural and artistic heritage of Youghal Carpets.
Anyone who would like more information on Saturday’s hand-casting day can contact Ms Nolan by email at katienolanartist@gmail.com.