'Stitching the Community Together' is an art-based, intergenerational programme centred around the medium of wool and knitting. At the heart of it, the programme focuses on three elements to be delivered between 19 nursing homes matched with 19 local schools:

a. An intergenerational workshop on wool and knitting

b. A virtual reality (VR) educational piece which meditates on the decreased value of wool, for farmers and textile producers. The emotional connections and memories associated with wool and its far reaching potential are explored.

c. An exhibition phase of the knitted pieces created by the nursing homes, libraries and schools

The programme is fully supported by the Kildare Age Friendly programme and its networks. It targets all nursing homes in Kildare, which encompasses a wide range of demographic and socio-economic backgrounds.

Artists John Conway and Aisling Byrne have collaborated to create a virtual reality educational piece in association with VR artists, Noho. VR provides a unique immersive learning environment, it can also serve as a method of connecting us more profoundly to a subject matter- evoking memories, connections, and emotions associated with its subject.  

A final exhibition of the VR piece, incorporating finished artefacts from the wool in school element of the project will be hosted in libraries and schools throughout 2023.

Please note that the details of events listed above are provided by the relevant Local Authorities.