Textile Details

'Reflections on loss - from darkness to light', Wave Trauma Centre, Belfast. (Photo: Martin Melaugh)

This embroidered and appliquéd quilt was designed and produced by female members of Wave Trauma Centre who have lost either a husband or a child as a direct result of thirty years of conflict in Northern Ireland.

The theme of the quilt relates to the members' personal journeys of grief and despair, from the darkness of bereavement and loss to the light of hope for the future. This journey is depicted symbolically in the quilt.

The piece takes the form of an embroidered tile dyed quilt using appliqué and featuring a lighthouse. The lighthouse represents guidance and protection through dangerous and troubled waters, and has been adopted by WAVE as its logo. A church and graveyard are also portrayed as integral to their journey.

This quilt is also documented in Accounts of the Conflict a digital archive of personal accounts of the conflict in and about Northern Ireland, located at the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE), Ulster University. A total of 10 textiles from the Conflict Textiles collection are included in “Accounts of the Conflict”.

Textile Detail Image(s)