Oileán Thoraí / Tory Island
a home furnishings and residential textile collection Tory Island lies nine miles off the coast of Donegal, Ireland, but to travel there is to endure rough waves in a ferry boat, only to be greeted by a sparse outcrop of rock: No trees grow on this island that juts out of the Atlantic Ocean. Outsiders have taken to TripAdvisor to complain, “Never Again” and to “Stay Away” due to the strong wind, limited cuisine and the occasional danger that one may become stranded there for weeks at a time (a seasonal hazard). But despite the imposing sea and barren landscape, Tory is noted for its song, dance and poetry, and the small community of islanders that have toughed it out for centuries on a rock in the middle of the ocean. woven on Jacquard + AVL dobby looms FALL 2021 |
Movement and rhythm drive the structures and patterns of this collection, featuring twills and zigzags that mimic the movement of the water and the churning of the sea. Soft merino and bumpy tweed evoke the landscape of the British Isles; masked in fog with flecks of color in the horizon. Wool and cotton felt and contract, ripple and bubble across the cloth. These fibers were chosen for their soft hand and for their ability to shrink and felt with washing; often enhancing or furthering explorations in movement and undulation.
This home furnishings collection takes inspiration from the water, the land and the dances and songs of the island.
People and place are deeply tied to one another; the sea that pummels the shoreline features in local songs, while dances mimic the cascading crash of the waves.
People and place are deeply tied to one another; the sea that pummels the shoreline features in local songs, while dances mimic the cascading crash of the waves.
© 2022 Sinéad Cahill