Do you remember the first work you made?
The first woven tapestry I created was a large sculptural rope construction. It was a very physically demanding piece both to make and to display. It was shown in the Project Gallery, Dublin and caused quite a stir.
What are your sources of inspiration?
My inspiration comes from the need to express a feeling, communicate a sense of outrage or to tell a story. I see or read about atrocities in the news and I think about how these affect individuals, be it displacement, separation, climate change or Covid-19.
©Mike Hourigan
Can you describe a little bit of how you work?
I start by researching, walking, thinking, drawing, painting and planning. I then enlarge the design to the correct size and scale. The next job is warping up the loom. The cartoon is hung on the back as a guide and marked onto white cotton warp as the weaving begins to grow.
Is there a memorable moment in your professional life that stands out?
When I was selected to showcase my tapestries for the first time in the 10th International Fibre Art Biennale, called "From Lausanne to Beijing" which was held in Shenzhen China in 2016 – that was very exciting. I travelled there and met many like-minded artists from around the globe.