A Walk By The Lake
Large scale outdoor mural for memorial garden. St. Annes Community College, Killaloe, Ireland. 2021.
St. Anne’s Community College students and staff wanted to create a memorial garden as a space for grieving members of the school and community. The planned garden was to be a reflective yet uplifting space where students could feel positive while remembering those they’d lost. Students and staff expressed desire to create a mural project as they felt it most suitable to the space. Working with the Transition Year students and staff, the artist set about creating a colourful, contemporary artwork for the garden.
In conversation with staff and students, we discussed the purpose and mood of a memorial garden, and what other places evoked a similar feeling. One such place suggested by a student was the lake in the village, Lough Derg. The students, teacher and the artist walked around Lough Derg, where they gathered photos as primary sources, focusing on shapes and objects that appealed to them in the landscape.
Back in the classroom, the students combined their primary sources with images from contemporary and historical artists to produce design concepts. Students then worked in small groups to make collage compositions using their chosen shapes in the styles of Henri Matisse and Maser. The final design combined work from all students and a painted mural was installed in 2021 by the artists and groups of students. The garden is a living project, meant to evolve over time with future input from students and teachers.
For more images and reflections from staff and students check out the online exhibition.