Artists – Fiona Kelleher & Sharon Dipity
The Determined Daffodil
Dunmanway Community Hospital
The aim of the project was to write a song based on a story told by Eileen (a woman in respite care) about daffodils.
Residents of Dunmanway Community Hospital worked with composer Fiona Kelleher and visual artist Sharon Dipity on this project celebrating the delicate yet hardy springtime plants and flowers that despite harsh conditions make their way into the world and flourish. The determined daffodil was inspired by artist Sharon Dipity’s work involving spring flowers.
The song which gives the project its title is a collaboration between composer and residents. It was inspired by a story told by one of the residents who brought to light the feisty nature of daffodils…“They were redoing the path in the churchyard in Dunmanway and it was a cold, cold Spring week. They put down the tar and would you believe it, the daffodils broke ground, came through the tar and had to be seen anyway!”
Various spring flowers were brought into the sessions and deconstructed. The blooms were taken apart and petals were peeled off to reveal their inside secrets. Participants documented the deconstructed flowers through acrylic paint and engaged in conversation around these plants.
The song was recorded and the lyrics were printed and framed and displayed alongside the artwork of Sharon Dipity (who inspired the work).
Timeframe
The project took place over 6 sessions throughout March and April 2017.
Testimonies
“They are beautiful” (resident)
” The colour is cheery” (resident)
“You can always depend on daffodils every year” (resident)