Craftwork of the world, from Ukrainian jewellery to Bolivian hats, will be on sale in Dún Laoghaire next weekend. Anna Carey reports
Until recently, the words "Dún Laoghaire" didn't really conjure up international excitement and glamour. Instead, they suggested queuing up for the ferry to Holyhead, which may be international but isn't particularly glamorous or exciting. But that may be changing. Next weekend the town's fifth annual Festival of World Cultures will see the seaside suburb host artists, musicians, chefs and craftspeople from every corner of the world.
The festival works in two ways: it introduces locals to music and culture from all over the globe, and it allows people from all over the globe to share their culture with their new Irish neighbours.
Two highlights of this year's festival promise to be Oxfam Ireland's World Craft Fair and its Global Village, huge markets that will showcase work by international craft artists, many of whom live in Ireland. Irish artists are also represented, such as the Dublin-based woodturner Patrick Waterman. From Ukrainian jewellery to Bolivian hats, there's something for everyone.
In many ways, the two fairs represent Ireland's increased awareness of the world outside western Europe. The festival hopes to broaden Irish tastes still further, with stalls selling food from all over the world. Suha Dorkhom, a Dublin-based foodie, is bringing Palestinian cuisine to Dún Laoghaire, where she will be selling breads and dips. She says there is a culinary generation gap. "Older customers tend to be more conservative. They go for familiar stuff like sausages. But the younger generation, those who have travelled more, they are more interested. They want to try new things."
Dorkhom comes from a creative family; for several years she has has been selling the intricate olive-wood carvings of her father, Fayez Khano, who is joining her at this year's craft fair to sell his wares.
Other traders at this year's market are using their connections in faraway countries to bring craft here. Ricard Ferrando is Spanish; after volunteer work in Bolivia he forged links with a craft collective there that produces a dazzling array of knitted and woven items, from hats to finger puppets.
Now Ferrando is acting as the Bolivian crafters' Irish agent. Their beautifully made work is both fun and distinctively Bolivian - who could resist a llama finger puppet?
When Leila Ahmedova first came to Ireland, from Ukraine, she planned to open a craft shop. But it's not easy to acquire decent premises in Dublin, so for the moment she's working in an office by day, using her spare time to sell the work of Ukrainian artists and craftspeople at craft fairs and markets. "I'm interested in everything ceramic," she says. Beautiful bracelets and necklaces made by a Ukrainian artist called Yurij Moravsky are among her biggest sellers.
But Irish consumers aren't always ready to take a chance on something new. When Ahmedova started to sell black Ukrainian ceramic ware here, she was surprised to find that that it didn't go down well. "People are usually interested in something that's a little bit different, but if it's too different they don't go for it," she says. "They will look for some similarity. And black ceramics were too weird. People said they didn't want to drink tea from a dark mug."
Gabrielle Emery, a New Zealander, has seen a slightly more adventurous side of the Irish public. She creates jewellery from the shells of pauas, which are a type of abalone, and which is a traditional element of Maori art. She also sells woven products and traditional Maori bone carvings. "People are really interested," she says. "They ask a lot of questions about the different weaves and the bone carvings."
But she acknowledges that some customers are turned off by the unfamiliar. Ferrando agrees. "People like uncomplicated things, things they can wear," he says. "Hats and scarves are always popular."
As well as being a great place to shop, the festival has an interactive element. A range of workshops and classes, in everything from African paper making to Chinese theatrical make-up, will allow visitors not only to observe crafts and folk art but also to create them.
Shyamala Sathiaseelan is hosting a workshop in rangoli, the traditional Indian art form that uses ground rice or other coloured powder to make intricate patterns. In India, many women make a fresh rangoli on the ground outside their house every day, as a tribute to Lakshmi, goddess of health and wealth. "You don't have to be an artist to do it," says Sathiaseelan. "Nearly every girl learns it from her mother."
Many families have their own patterns, all based on a symmetrical series of dots that a huge variety of designs can be formed around. "My mum has a notebook where she collects rangoli designs," says Sathiaseelan. "She gets them from her mum, her grandmother, her friends - everywhere." Rangoli patterns also appear in Indian women's magazines. The results can be kaleidoscopically beautiful, a feast of pinks, blues and greens, so it's not surprising that Sathiaseelan's previous workshops have all proved popular.
We may be becoming an increasingly multicultural society, but there's still little interaction between mainstream Ireland and the new arrivals. Immigrants are seldom given a chance to explain the culture of the countries they have left behind. The Dún Laoghaire festival offers them that chance, whether they're interested in Indian art or Palestinian cookery. "The festival gives people a platform to share their culture - and celebrate it, too," says Rebecca Emery of Oxfam Ireland. "People can see other dimensions to newcomers other than their just being immigrants."
Festival of World Cultures runs from Friday until Sunday, August 28th. See www.festivalofworld cultures.com for details. The Oxfam Ireland World Craft Fair is in the concourse of County Hall, Dún Laoghaire, on Saturday and Sunday, 11am-6pm. The Global Village is at Moran Park Green from Friday to Sunday (Friday 2-8pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-8pm). Admission to both is free. Shyamala Sathiaseelan's rangoli workshop is at VEC, Old School House, next Saturday at 2pm; tickets cost €4. To book call 01-4070750