AN IMAGE of Noah's Ark from the 14th-century Book of Ballymotehas inspired a unique public art project in a Co Sligo field.
Ironically, Clare artist John Langan had no inkling of the floods that would cause devastation in the west of Ireland when he began work on the project two years ago.
The work, entitled Fóidín Mearbhaill(Field in Transition), involved the conducting of an archaeological survey which identified two roads dating back several centuries, planting flax and creating a crop drawing, resembling an ark, on Sligo County Council land in Carrowcauly, Ballymote.
“Fóidín mearbhaill or meara is, according to folklore, a widely held superstition that the fairies sometimes put a spell on a piece of earth, usually a sod of grass,” Langan explained.
“Whoever inadvertently steps upon it loses their way at once, and cannot find an exit until the fairies tire of their game, and at last throw open the unseen doors. It is also widely believed that one can counter the spell by turning one’s coat inside out.”
He believes many decision-makers and communities have been “lost” in the fóidín mearbhaill for years, and mistakes are only coming to light now.
“The essence of the concept of the work is rooted in an awareness of our changing environments, and how this impacts on culture and landscape,” said Langan.
He chose the Noah's Ark image partly because of its use in the Book of Ballymote, written in the area in 1390 or 1391. "I also chose it because of the covenant that God made with man in the Book of Genesis, as in man's (Noah's) dominance over the animals, trees, nature . . . something which many environmental philosophers would argue is a contributory factor to our present problems."
Langan, from Ennis, Co Clare, studied sculpture at Limerick School of Art and Design. He has been a resident artist at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and lectures at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. His project, supported by Mary McDonagh of Sligo County Council’s arts service, is part of a series of public art works curated by Joe Lee and commissioned by the local authority with funding from the Department of Environment’s “per cent for art” scheme.
The field was used by Langan on a temporary basis, and he took aerial shots of the finished work.
Fóidín Mearbhaill is currently on display at Ballymote Enterprise Centre, Co Sligo, from 10am-1pm and 2pm-4.30pm until December 18th.