Placeways
Mapping Our Relationship With Place
Our walking group during a visit to the Town Well.
PLACEWAYS is a Creative Places Ballaghaderreen Project.
Over the coming months, Anna will explore with the Ballagh community how places are known, imagined, lived-in, felt and remembered.
“Together we will consider how people form attachments to - and derive meaning from a place”.
There are currently four PLACEWAYS projects:
Contemplative Walks - see below
Creative Places Ballaghaderreen | DATES Below
PLACEWAYS: Mapping Our Past, present & future Relationship with place
Anna warmly invites members of the Ballagh community to join her in tracing a series of ‘PLACEWAYS’ during four contemplative walks.
Each walk starts at a unique cardinal direction (North, East, South, West) and we will trace our way to the Ballaghaderreen Community Garden (which symbolises ‘the source of eternal unfolding’).
As participants navigate their way through the landscape, they will be encouraged to observe and describe various elements of their surroundings through their senses: plants, natural features, waterways, shapes, shadows, and structures.
During these walks we will share stories at key heritage sites, as well as pause for a few moments of reflection - to give space for these features to reveal more than what is initially perceived, thus allowing for a deeper connection to the essence, contours and language of the land. This is an opportunity to experience a familiar environment in a new / refreshing way; and to let go of preconceived perspectives. This endeavour aims to awaken a sensory memory of our profound connection to place.
ROSfm Arts Programme - Ursula Ledwith interviews Anna about PLACEWAYS - find out more about our project… Photo from Ballagh Past & Present Facebook Page.
Photo: Ref: Ballaghaderreen Community Garden Facebook
A ‘PLACEWAYS’ Map
As participants sense their way to the garden, Anna will document the walks and experiences (using prose, photography, videos and illustration).
Each of the four ‘PLACEWAYS’ leading back to 'The Garden' will be traced onto natural translucent paper with important landmarks, symbols, and elements of the terrain.
These maps will then be placed on top of each other, so that all four ‘PLACEWAYS’ can be seen together, but through different veils of thin paper, symbolising the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate elements of life. The PLACEWAYS map is an opportunity to reimagine space and place as an interconnected whole.
Photo from Ballagh Community Garden Facebook
Overview
Throughout history, civilisations worldwide have developed traditions akin to Australian Aboriginal Songlines and Irish Ley lines, which emphasise the profound bond between people and their surroundings. These traditions, spanning Native American trails, Chinese Feng Shui principles, Roman roads and Maori tracks, involve the creation of pathways linking significant landscape features. Beyond utilitarian purposes, such as transportation and navigation, these pathways held/hold deep cultural, spiritual, and social significance.
‘Placeways’ - Mapping The Four Directions & Our Relationship With Place
While pathways refer to both tangible and observable routes taken to navigate through space, ‘PLACEWAYS’ include how people perceive and interact with a place.
While pathways are a part of ‘PLACEWAYS’ - placeways also include the cultural, social, and emotional dimensions of people's relationships with a place. This might include the rituals, memories, stories, and personal connections associated with a particular location.
So far, three walks have taken place.
We're keeping the exact date of our next walk under wraps for now, as we await a more settled weather forecast. This will enable us to include some extra activities that are best enjoyed in milder temperatures.
Trust us, it's going to be worth the wait!
For people unable to embark on the physical ‘PLACEWAYS’ walk, you are invited to join us at the end of our journey in the Community Garden for tea - where we will take some time sitting in a circle integrating and reflecting upon the experience.
Each Walking Experience Takes Approx 15 - 20mins followed by a sense-making experience at the Community Garden, tea & chats.
More info about each walk will be updated regularly on social media. Keep an eye on our instagram page for regular updates.
These walks are part of a year long residency with Creative Places Ballaghaderreen, funded by the Arts Council, Ireland and Roscommon County Council.
After the ‘Four ‘PLACEWAYS’ are completed, Anna will explore additional sites surrounding Ballagh town and gather items that represent the six senses, for her ‘Senses of Place Workshop.’
In addition, exploring PLACEWAYS offers several valuable advantages:
Transcending cultural boundaries: Engaging with PLACEWAYS enables individuals to connect beyond cultural divides, and fosters cross-cultural encounters. While this form of creative experience is rooted in the present moment, it holds the potential to enrich community relationships in the future.
Creating connections between neighbourhoods: Sketching a new map based on PLACEWAYS in Ballagh may serve to connect otherwise distinct neighbourhoods and strengthen community bonds.
Reimagining place-based townscapes through symbolic maps: Realising and physically traversing PLACEWAYS presents an opportunity to envision townscapes that are more interconnected.
For more info on Creative Places Ballaghaderreen click HERE
A Year in Ballagh: An Introduction
Artist Research Residency With Creative Places Ballaghaderreen
Poster designed by Nollaig Molloy
Welcome!
This blog is an online diary about the research, creative processes and art that unfolds out of ‘Creative Places Ballaghaderreen’.
To mark the beginning of this collaborative journey, please see below a series of photos by Marek Petrovic from our launch at Square One Café, November 25th. During the evening artist-researcher, Nollaig Molloy, introduced her short film ‘Sounding the Shore, Julie Sharkey - shared her extensive experience of working in theatre and community arts, and I read some poetry from ‘Rekindling the Fire’, as well as my recently completed poem ‘The Stir of the Slow Unfurling’. Diaspora opened the event, followed by an introduction of the project from Mary Smyth (Public Art Coordinator - Roscommon County Council).
The evening was a relaxed and engaging opportunity to get to know some of the local groups in the area. We made some lovely connections and began the process of opening up meaningful conversations about ‘Creative Places Ballaghaderreen’.
Follow along on our instagram feed.
Creative Places is a year-long project funded by the Arts Council for places around Ireland that have not previously benefited from sustained investment in the arts and creativity. Currently, there are 17 funded Creative Places, all at varying stages of development.
Ballagha is at the initial stage of this process. It will involve artists Nollaig, Julie and Anna using socially engaged art practices to explore how local businesses, community groups and individuals can develop an inclusive, diverse and sustainable arts programme for the local area.
Creative Places: Ballaghaderreen is supported by Roscommon County Council in association with a steering committee made up of local groups from the area. Our approach aims to build on existing cultural strengths, and is guided by inclusive community principles.
More details can be found: https://www.roscommoncoco.ie/coco/en/services/community/arts-office/creative-places.html