| Description: | Since 1986, Irene has made an annual Events of the Year quilt, each one consisting of 20 panels profiling significant world events. A natural curiosity in people and the events, both local and global,which shape their lives, combined with a love of textiles, inspires her to create these unique quilts which she now describes as an ongoing project.
As with others in the series, her initial inspiration for this quilt came from newspapers, radio and TV news. Regarding what motivated her to depict this set of world events from 1992, all of which are located outside Northern Ireland, Irene has this to say: “Having been a social worker I am interested in people…their situations ...and the events connected to them. I am aware of our need to care for the environment, hence the many panels relating to this area.” Her inclusion of panels such as “Bee parasite,Varroa, found in South of England (no. 19)” and “Burning of Sikh temples in India (no.4)” illustrates her focus on highlighting events and issues that don’t always make the headlines.
As Irene’s quilts reflect world events, the repeated portrayal of man made disasters; war, civil unrest, and natural disasters are a salutary reminder to us of the need for new directions: “…It’s interesting how certain events such as earthquakes, flooding, wars and civil unrest keep repeating … and are thus featured year after year.”
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