Dublin art installation commemorates lives lost to Covid-19

Ten thousand white handkerchiefs shaped into roses fan out from the Iveagh Gardens’ fountain, forming a traditional Irish lace pattern.

The roses are part of Lost Lace, an art installation commemorating those who died of Covid-19 in the Republic and Northern Ireland. Each rose symbolises one lost life.

The project, which launched Saturday in Iveagh Gardens, is a collaboration between the visual artist Miriam McConnon and the poet Jessica Traynor.

Ms McConnon chose the handkerchief to represent the traditional small cloths (clooties) tied around trees near holy wells thought to drive away illness. A single white rose, often considered a symbol of devotion, was selected to represent each life.

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Aesthetics and accessibility are the goal with each art piece Ms McConnon designs. “People can look at it and see that it’s beautiful and it might move them in some way, but behind it there’s a concept. Art should live in our lives. It should move us, and it doesn’t mean it’s less or more of an art piece if it communicates to a lot of people.”

For those in attendance whose loved ones died from Covid, the day recalled painful memories.

Mary White of Dublin lost her sister, Antoinette Lennon (60), to Covid in March 2021, a week after she was hospitalised with the virus.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get over it. I said goodbye through a video call. I told her to fight and that we were waiting for her, but I knew when we got that phone call she was gone.”

Ms White’s husband was also hospitalised with Covid but survived. “It’s great to see people here who have lost loved ones, but it’s still very raw. I have no other siblings. She’s all I have,” said Ms White.

[ Covid-19: Lives Lost - a series telling the stories behind the numbers ]

Sisters Sheila, Susan and Anne McFarland of Dublin lost their mother, Mary McFarland (nee Traynor), to Covid in April 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic. Mary died in a nursing home on what would have been her 90th birthday.

Susan recalls that emotional and terrifying period. “It’s hard to wrap your head around it. The priest called on the phone to give last rites. People were frightened at that point. There was no vaccine, and nobody knew enough about Covid. People were saying it was in the air and all that.”

Nursing homes were hit especially hard during the pandemic, with 2,349 deaths from Covid-19 between March 2020 and May 2021.

“It’s important that they’re having this event to honour them,” said Sheila. “We didn’t get to say goodbye properly and with Jessica’s poems, it’s a way of putting meaning to their lives.”

Jessica Traynor recited four poems she had written, emanating from stories people had shared on the Lost Lace website. Although each person’s story of loss was unique, Ms Traynor noticed similar themes.

“Many of the stories were more similar than I would’ve expected,” said Ms Traynor. “People kept coming back to the simple things of touch and the rituals around grieving and the disruption of that. And that’s what helped me create a poetic response that felt true to people’s experiences.”

Not being able to hold a loved one’s hand during their final moments without wearing gloves was one recurring theme which inspired Ms Traynor’s poem entitled Hand in Glove.

For Ms Traynor, whose uncle died of Covid, the project evoked painful memories. “It is important to feel that you are able to share the experience when you’re responding artistically to something.”

Minister for Tourism Catherine Martin and Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy attended the launch. Ms Martin said she welcomed “very much that the artist engaged with families who lost loved ones to Covid-19. This process of collaboration is enriching for all involved.” And she said the all-Ireland aspect of the project was meaningful as “death and grief know no boundaries”.

The installation will remain on display until October 23rd. A pedestal at the site contains a QR code, allowing people to listen to Ms Traynor’s recitation of her poems as they view the exhibit.