Bronwen Haire from South Belfast Quaker Meeting shared the following invitation with us:
The Loving Earth Project, an initiative of the Quaker Arts Network and Woodbrooke celebrates people, places, creatures that we love but whose future is threatened by climate change or environmental degradation. Friends and friends are encouraged firstly through a meditation on the theme to respond to 3 questions:
What do you love in nature, that is threatened by environmental breakdown?
How might you personally be contributing to that?
What more could you do, to be part of the solution?
Quickly draw something that illustrates this.
Then take time to make a textile panel 30x30cm. Try to use/reuse /recycle materials you have at home. The examples below are from the Loving earth gallery:
Loving Earth Project – Caring for the World we love (lovingearth-project.uk)
The one on the right is about microplastics by someone who loves the sea.
I first learned about this project at the online meeting of European and Middle East Section Annual Meeting in May 2020.
Shortly after this, it was introduced to South Belfast Quaker Meeting and the Eco Quaker Group in our Meeting via zoom as an all-age Meeting for Worship. About 6 Friends including young Friends have subsequently produced fabulous textile panels and written about how they are changing their lifestyles to minimise their contribution to climate change and protect our planet. These panels are now part of the online gallery of the Loving Earth Project. There have been a number of live exhibitions over the last couple of years and the aim is to bring the exhibition of now 90 panels to the UN Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow in November 2021. Friends are in a unique position as our representatives at QUNO will be there. What an opportunity!
I hope we can bring this exhibition to Ireland in the future, maybe coinciding with a Yearly Meeting. Ideally to venues both North and South.
It would be great if more Irish Friends wanted to get involved and make panels. I am willing to help, run online workshops.
One of the aims of the project is to start conversations about climate change through the panels, introduce it to Women’s Institutes/Irish Country Women’s Association, craft, embroidery, patchwork quilting groups, schools, community groups, Men’s sheds etc.
Please get in touch if you are interested.
[email protected] or 07707948636
I encourage you to look at the website online gallery and events. There are workshops & discussions you can join online.
Loving Earth Project – Caring for the World we love (lovingearth-project.uk)