Cut From The Same Cloth – Exhibition Tour: Connecting Biomedical Research with Community Voices

Cut From The Same Cloth aims to foster connections that pave the way for meaningful integration of minority voices with UCD Conway Institute’s Patient Voice in Health Research initiative.

Arising from an art and health research collaboration, the exhibition Cut From The Same Cloth centres around the fabric of our lives. A handwoven tapestry by artist Lorna Donlon documents a unique community of members of local minority communities and biomedical researchers.

Connecting Biomedical Research with Community Voices
In 2024, the ‘Get Togethers’ initiative brought researchers from UCD Conway Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Research together with women from minority communities across Ireland. These gatherings aimed to build lasting relationships and integrate diverse voices into UCD Conway’s Patient Voice in Health Research initiative.

United by the shared significance of fabric in our lives, women exchanged stories at venues including the Hunt Museum in Limerick, the Irish Islamic Cultural Centre, the National Museum at Collins Barracks, and community centres in Kilkenny, Dundalk, Roscommon, and Dublin. Participants explored biomedical research through fabric prints depicting studies on cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, bacterial vaccines, and more.

Researchers, in turn, shared personal fabric stories. Professor Amanda McCann, who studies triple-negative breast cancer, brought organza fabric stained with cerbB2/HER2 from a breast tumour, alongside the dress her mother wore to her PhD conferring in 1992. These exchanges fostered deeper understanding, bridging science and personal experience.

Creating the artwork
Lorna Donlon is a tapestry weaver who merges the ancient art of weaving with scientific concepts. With a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, she creatively bridges art and science through tapestry and installations inspired by the scientific practices of categorising and labelling nature.

Cut From The Same Cloth is Donlon’s second exhibition curated with UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research.

During her time as the UCD College of Science Artist in Residence (2022-23), Donlon created the “measuring tape of my life.” This piece, inspired by scientific methods of measurement, represents her life through fabric pieces from garments worn by her grandmother, parents, herself, and her three daughters. The section representing her daughters spans the longest length, symbolising the future.

Donlon incorporated this measuring tape into her tapestry, connecting the fabric stories shared by women from minority communities and UCD Conway biomedical researchers during their “Get Togethers.” It acts as a symbolic thread, intertwining personal histories with scientific narratives.

Exhibition Tour Dates 2025 
17 April to 29 May: The Hunt Museum, Limerick
June – July: Mayfair Library, Kilkenny
July – August: Pearse Museum, Rathfarnham Dublin
Sept – Oct: Dunamaise Arts Centre, Portlaoise
Nov – Dec: Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon

Event: Unveiling the Stories Behind Cut From The Same Cloth
As part of the opening exhibition in Limerick, The Hunt Museum is hosting a free event exploring the powerful stories woven into Cut From The Same Cloth. Taking place on 24 April, this event brings together voices from art, science, and minority communities to highlight the importance of inclusion in health research. Book here.

Project Website
https://cutfromthesamecloth.org/