"Butter Sweet Time - The cogs and wheels that turn Shandon’s Historical Quarter"
A multidisciplinary Art Project designed and coordinated by Artists Leah Murphy and Susan Walsh.
Turn back time with this years ‘Tools of the Trade’ This years school groups 4th Class Pupils from North Presentation Primary School, Gerard Griffith Street and St. Vincent’s Primary School, St Mary's Road re-discovered the traditional craft of butter making at Cork Butter Museum, and have been inspired by the colours of traditional Sweet making over generations at Shandon Sweets, all under the impressive time keeper of Shandon Clock.
Beginning with an introductory workshop, the children were introduced to the tools in everyday use by these places of interest. This was followed by a bespoke behind the scenes virtual tour of the project partners. We then developed a series of creative workshops inspired by the cross-curricular themes that the places presented. In the series of creative response workshops that followed, the children experienced a wide range of materials and artistic techniques including: observational drawing, painting, printing, panoramic photography, mixed media and large interactive collaborative works.
The traditional butter making tools and items from Cork Butter Museum Shandon are museum artefacts and required that a custodian from the museum accompanied the tools to the class room setting for the introductory workshop and Dominic described in detail how these items were use in traditional butter making, We then visited the Butter museum where the Children were given a guided tour and an onsite butter making demonstration.
Under the shadow of Shandon’s steeple, Shandon Sweets provided us with wonderful tools and items that have been used in traditional sweet making spanning three generations. We had a special guided tour behind the scenes and experienced some of the wonders of Sweet making from sugar and glucose with flavours and colours the room is filled with a warm sweet smell as Tony makes a "batch" of Clove Rocks and Butterscotch exactly as has been tradition made at this location in Shandon for nearly one hundred years.
Shandon Bells and Tower - St Anne's Church
At Shandon Bells and Tower visible from many parts of the city, with its red sandstone (North & East) and white limestone (South & West). looms more than 120ft in the centre of Shanons historic quarter, our area of focus was the impressive Clock mecinism located on the 3rd floor of the tower made by Cork Clockmaker James Mangen in 1847 commissioned by Cork Corporation The machinery of the clocks weigh 2 tonnes and the clock faces are 14 feet in diameter.
Introducing the clock through the tools in use and parts of the Traditional Clock movements from independent Clock maker and later on the visit to Shandon tower Matteo gave a detailed talk on the parts, mechanics and workings of the large four faced time piece.
A series of creative response workshops
During he site visits and demonstrations the children were encouraged to draw and take notes in sketch books, Drawing the items at the museum , the process at the sweet making demo and the tower from the gardens below. While on the viewing balcony each child took a photograph resulting in a panorama of the city below. Inspired by the three locations we then developed a series of creative workshops ,with individual artworks and larger collaborative pieces the works were then professionally presented and displayed at City hall Atrium in June 24.
The interactive collaborative “Turning Time” piece captures a panorama with Shandon Clock Tower at the centre surrounded by the smaller cogs, turning our attention to places of interest in the surrounding historic Shandon area. The cogs of Butter Museum and Shandon Sweets.
"A bit a Butter" Inspired by the butter wrapper collection at the museum each pupil designed and printed their own unique butter brand.
Then with "Pure Imagination" they each designed and made the perfect sweet with wonderful flavours and colours.
All works were then returned to the school for display.
