An Invitation to Contribute

Cadis is an evolving installation. The word itself has uncertain origins—possibly related to the town of Cadiz, and perhaps connected to the ideas of gathering or bringing things together. There is also a rough, golden cloth known as cadis. But I first encountered the word in childhood, beside brooks and streams, where I would find the larvae of the caddisfly.

The caddisfly larva builds its home by gathering whatever it can find: fragments of debris from the riverbed, bound together into a protective covering. It creates a kind of camouflage, a shelter that both conceals and defends.

Like the insect, I am creating a patchwork mantle from thousands of diamond-shaped fabric pieces—offcuts, old clothes, and donated scraps—stitched together without a fixed end, growing slowly over time.

This mantle will partially rise and stretch across the floor, sheltering a collection of sealed memory capsules. Each contains a private thought, never to be opened. So far, the containers are shaped like eggs and pomegranates, in honour of their ancient associations with fertility, death, and rebirth; and teapots, as a nod to the homes of Donegal and beyond. Other forms will follow. All are held with reverence, like relics.

At its core, Cadis is about the sacredness of everyday experience. It honours the value of memory, survival, and human connection—no matter how quiet or overlooked. Influenced by reliquaries, Mani stones, cairns, and prayer wheels, Cadis treats repetition, gathering, and care as devotional acts. There is no need for doctrine or external divinity. We are the sacred ones, and our lives, in all their fragility, are enough.

You are warmly invited to contribute in any of the following ways:

1. WRITE SOMETHING
Write anything at all on no more than two sheets of A4. Fold your writing and place it in the letterbox provided. You may contribute as many pieces as you wish.

If you prefer your words to remain unread, even by the artist, please seal them in an envelope.

Not sure where to begin? You might write about:

• How you’re feeling today
• A dream you had
• What brings you joy or sorrow
• A moment of change or a memory that lingers
• Something you’ve never said out loud
• A hope for the future
• A secret, a regret, a wish, a confession
• Your relationship to work, home, family, identity
• The way the world is, or how you’d change it
• A letter you never sent

2. MAKE SOMETHING
Create an image—draw, paint, photograph, stitch, or collage.
Maximum size: A4. Place your work in the letterbox below.

Suggestions include:

• A sketch or doodle
• A handprint or footprint
• A portrait or still life
• A rubbing or texture study
• A fantasy or imagined place
• A fragment of embroidery or cut paper
• Anything at all, made with intention

3. DONATE A PIECE OF FABRIC
Please donate a square of fabric measuring 8 inches x 8 inches.
This may come from a piece of clothing or any textile that holds meaning for you—or that you simply like.

All fabric will be sewn into the growing mantle of the installation.

There are letterboxes at three locations if you live in Donegal,
1. An Gailearai in Derrybeg
2. The Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny
3. Artlink Fort Dunree

Or if you live further afield –
Cadis
Mulligan’s Farm
Dunlewey
Letterkenny
Co. Donegal F92 N920
Ireland

Thank you for your generosity. Every word, thread, and gesture forms part of this living work.