Carole initiated and organised workshops during the immediate aftermath of the bomb in Omagh in 1998. This cross-community work involved 150+ people from Primary, Secondary and Grammar Schools together with volunteers from the public and was carried out for Omagh District Council. The result was a series of pictures created from hand-made paper including the flowers which were left in the town in the days after the bomb. Work formed an exhibition and a book called "Petals of Hope". Pictures were given to each of the families and large pieces made for each town affected. The collective exhibition was seen in Omagh, Buncrana, Belfast, Dublin, Newcastle and Madrid.
Transparencies of the images from the book formed another exhibition of the same name which was shown in Warrington and later on in Omagh at the tenth anniversary of the bomb in 2008.
For an update on Petals of Hope - Seeds of Hope, please go to the NEWS section of this website, as there is currently active engagement taking place in the run up to the 20th anniversary, August 2018.
“Being involved in this project was an incredible experience for me as an artist and definitely shaped me on a personal level. I don’t underestimate how much of a privilege it was to come along side the people of Omagh and the surrounding towns during this traumatic period. The council was exceptional in allowing this project to take place and extremely supportive to me. There was no way of anticipating the impact of the outcome: both in participation as well as the quality of the pieces produced. I will never forget this project or the people I met at that time.”
Pictures were made for each of the families of the 29 people plus 2 unborn twins who were killed in the bomb. An additional three large pieces (6ft x 8ft) where also made for the three locations to loose members of their communities. These images can be seen in the Petals of Hope book, or contact Carole directly.
Copies of “Petals of Hope” can be purchased from Omagh District Council: Click Here
Collectively, this work is mentioned as a case study in John Paul Lederach’s Book: “The Moral Imagination: The Art & Soul of Building Peace”.
