Reimagining 14 Henrietta Street through Irish Lace

Artistic responses are an important part of how we tell the story of 14 Henrietta Street and make up 5% of the museum’s collection. Earlier this year we appointed Fiona Harrington as an Artist in Residence at 14 Henrietta Street. Fiona was the fifth artist selected to create artistic responses, which so far have focused on the building itself, the history of the house and those who lived in it, our collection, the visitor experience and the museum’s way of working.

Fiona is a visual artist who works with handmade lace. As Artist in Residence, Fiona has spent time in the museum researching and drawing to develop her creative response to the history of the building. She is working directly with the museum’s collection, including listening to the oral history interviews collected through our Your Tenement Memories programme.

Fiona is interested in the patterns, textures, cracks and crevices that are revealed through the historical layers of the building and is fascinated by the similarities between the women who lived in the tenements and the women who made lace in early 20th century Ireland.

By exploring the common threads between tenement living and lacemaking, she wanted to find new ways to share old stories. Fiona says: “I am interested in the stories contained within the fabric of the building - in the walls, the floorboards and the many objects stored in the museum's collection.” During her residency she explored this using traditional Irish lace-making processes, finding new ways to unravel and reveal the history of 14 Henrietta Street.

Fiona has also connected with individuals and community groups through our Culture Club programme providing opportunities to see the development of her creative response over the course of the residency and to learn about the process of making handmade lace. Fiona’s residency will come to a close in August, with a special Teatime Talk on 28th August where she will discuss her time at 14 Henrietta Street.