Dreamweaver's Storyhoops

Dreamweaver's Storyhoops was a project about life stories told through the use of a hula hoop and weaving fabric. Draíocht worked with 71, 6th class students from 3 local schools in Dublin 15, over a number of weeks; Ladyswell National School, Castleknock Educate Together & St. Philip Senior National School.

This innovative project facilitated by textile artist Gina Faustino, focused on showing/telling each child's individual story in a very unique visual manner - with the use of a hula hoop and fabric! The Story Hoops were created using, a hula hoop, wool fibre, a variety of colourful fabrics and a meaningful/symbolic fabric/ribbon/yarn belonging to each participant. The wool fibre was used to create hand-felted ropes which is the backbone of the Storyhoop.

Each 'Dreamweaver' then wove their life story, or a story they would like to tell, in coloured fabric (ie. each year of their life might be a different colour; an important event might be marked with a change of fabric, ribbon, a button, a stitch). Dreams and aspirations are woven intermittently or at the end.

The work was installed in Draíocht's Ground Floor Gallery space for a short period, 1-5 March 2013 and had an opening and celebration evening for all the children, parents and teachers involved.