Brigid 500

At the end of 2023, GRID Collective answered a national and international open call for an exhibition to mark Brigid 500 in 2024. Its submission, Triquetra, was accepted and joined a large variety of works to be displayed in Kildare Town for the event.

This call gave us the opportunity to try something new, namely a 3D collaborative piece. The work found its genesis in a ‘mood board’ which included Brigid's cloak, her decanonisation in 1969, the withered foot legend, and her tomb, providing us with wide-ranging material to explore what she represents for us individually, collectively, and as Irish women. Using three casts of Brigid from a 15th century panel in New Abbey, Co. Kildare, we first worked separately, then brought the modified casts together into a single piece. The final three-dimensional form embodies Brigid the saint, Brigid the goddess, Brigid the human being.

The images below show the work in progress. Fifi Smith's cast (Brigid 01) acknowledges the traditional symbol of the Brigid's cross, albeit with a feminist twist ! Helen Blair's Brigid (Brigid 02) reflects the goddess in her shimmering garb, while Mary Nolan's dressing of the cast (Brigid 03) in a fabric garment alludes to the myth of Brigid's cloak. The final piece was mounted on a rotating base to enable viewers to see all sides.