Amber’s One Million Stars project is set to spread the LOVE in Carlow.
The installation in the form of the four-letter word comprises 30,000 eight pointed woven stars, each symbolising love, hope and solidarity against violence. Every single one was made by hand.
The piece has featured as part of Yulefest Kilkenny Festival and has been seen at a number of locations including St Luke’s General Hospital, the Tholsel, Market Cross Shopping Centre, National Crafts Council Design Yard, St Canice’s Hospital/HSE Lacken and at MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre where a large star provided by local firm CDS Architectural Metalwork remains so new stars can be added.
Today (Thursday) the moveable LOVE structure has moved for the first time outside Kilkenny to its next temporary home at Carlow College St Patrick’s with a special launch at 12:45pm, using the initiative to mark International Day of Peace.
213 star weaves from ten countries, including Ireland and the Ukraine as well as people seeking international protection, have hand woven thousands of stars and will be joined by representatives of Amber’s One Million Stars Project.
FF Deputy Jennifer Murnane-O’Connor will officially open the exhibition with recorded speeches from Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, TD and Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD.
Amber’s One Million Stars project is part of the global One Billion Stars project, founded in Australia in 2012 after the rape and murder of an Irish woman living in Melbourne. The project was brought to Ireland by Art Therapist Siobhan McQuillan working with Amber Women’s Refuge, a local domestic violence service working in Carlow and Kilkenny. There are now star weaving communities in 23 counties across Ireland who collectively have woven over 150,000 stars to end violence. The eldest star weaver is 89 years old, the youngest is five.
