Unique art/science collaboration exploring shared humanity through fabric stories opens in Dublin

Dr Ebun Joseph, Government of Ireland Special Rapporteur on Racial Equality and Racism opened a unique exhibition merging art, science, and community in Pearse Museum, St Enda’s Park, Rathfarnham on 17 July as part of a nationwide tour.

Funded through Research Ireland, the multimedia exhibition entitled ‘Cut from the Same Cloth’ is an artist-led collaboration between biomedical researchers from UCD Conway Institute in University College Dublin and women from minority communities across Ireland. The project explores a shared humanity through fabric stories.

Pictured L-R: Lorna Donlon and Dr Ebun Joseph at the Dublin opening of ‘Cut from the Same Cloth’ exhibition in Pearse Museum, Rathfarnham

Artist, Lorna Donlon worked with UCD Conway researchers to select representative microscopic images and data from their research and to reimagine them as printed fabric. 

Through a series of ten gatherings in community settings around Ireland during 2024, women shared personal stories about fabrics significant to their cultural traditions, customs and lived experience. These ‘get-togethers’ provided an opportunity for researchers to share the parallels between patterns in textiles and those seen at the cellular level in health research. 

Artist, Lorna Donlon created a handwoven tapestry inspired by these stories that bridges personal and scientific narratives through fabric and is complemented in the exhibition by research textiles, photographs by Anthony Hobbs and video narratives by Crannóg Media. Each fabric story is a doorway into the pattern of a person’s life or of their life’s work.

The tapestry includes a readable, embedded woven QR code that links to the digital version of the exhibition (https://cutfromthesamecloth.org/), marrying an ancient technique with a contemporary technology.

This project has enabled UCD Conway researchers to connect and engage with minority communities about research developments in health and understand how research can consider their community's needs.

Speaking at the opening in Pearse Museum, Dr Ebun Joseph said; “Policy opens doors but culture invites us in. I want to congratulate Lorna on honouring the power of human connection through this exhibition – it truly is a song to cloth and to story that will endure for generations to come, providing a portal to a period in Ireland’s history when new communities integrated and began to flourish.” 

Lorna Donlon said; “Creating this tapestry has been a deeply meaningful process, weaving together not just fabric but the stories of individuals who are often overlooked in research. By reimagining biomedical data as art, I hope to show how science and personal experience are connected, reminding us all that every thread in our community matters.”

Prior to the opening, a panel of community participants and biomedical researchers spoke about their experience of the project in a facilitated discussion with Lorna Donlon. 

Prerna Shah described the tapestry as a "handwoven magical piece of art that bridges personal and scientific narratives through fabric."

Originally from India, Prerna encouraged people to "take a look at all the stories and narratives behind the fabrics. Some make you smile; some make you tear up. It is also such a beautiful reminder of the diversity that makes Ireland unique, and how we can cherish that. Especially in the current climate. "

Pictured L-R: Panelists, Cristina Abascal Ruiz, PhD student; Mireya Molina; Dr Claire Robinson, UCD; Zenab Alshatr, Sujithra Srinivas, PhD student; Prerna Shah  

Conway Fellow, Professor Amanda McCann, academic lead of ‘Cut From the Same Cloth’ project and the ‘Patient Voice in Health Research’ initiative said; “Through this project, we want to create an inclusive environment where minority communities can actively be involved in and contribute to the progress of health research, enriching both the research landscape and the broader community. Cloth allowed us to find common ground in an equitable, open and transparent way”.

The biomedical researchers involved in this project are working in disease areas such as ovarian, prostate and breast cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, nutrition in pregnancy, bacterial vaccines, motor neuron disease, skin burn wounds, rare respiratory diseases and Alzheimer’s disease.

Pictured: Sujithra Srinivas, a PhD student studying epilepsy in UCD Conway Institute points out her fabric inspired by brain cells called neurons.

Conway Fellow, Dr Arman Rahman, UCD School of Medicine who is part of the project team said; “People from minority ethnic groups can often experience poorer health than the rest of the population. As part of the ‘Patient Voice in Health Research’ initiative, UCD Conway researchers connect and engage with minority communities about research developments in health and understand how research can consider their community's needs.”

The exhibition is open to the public in Pearse Museum daily (excluding Tuesdays) from 9:30 am - 5:30 pm until 14 September. Free entry.