‘Little Houses’ leads to the creation of more than 100 ‘Little People’, and one big sculpture, at the National Museum of Ireland

Last Saturday young people from Stoneybatter, whose work in response to the pandemic is on display in the ‘Little Houses’ exhibition at Collins Barracks, joined forces with Dutch artists Stoereloer to create a sculpture, itself made up of more than one hundred smaller artworks.

The ‘Little Houses’ exhibition, launched at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks in November 2021, displays artworks created by young people from the Stoneybatter area, inspired by their experiences of life during Lockdown during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Pictured: Artist Marjan Beuker with one of the ‘Little People’ used to make the sculpture. Picture credit: Paul Sherwood

The project, a collaboration between the Museum and the Stoneybatter Youth Service, was the idea of Johanna Visser, one of the youth workers, who had been inspired by Dutch organisation Stoereloer’s ‘Miniatuurhuis’ in the Netherlands.

Pictured: Artist Marsja Van Der Ven with the sculpture.

The Dutch artists came to Dublin to hold a workshop last Saturday with the Youth Service.

In preparation for the workshop young people in Leeuwarden, where Stoereloer is based, and in Dublin 7 were invited to create their own miniature figures with a special gift or message.

Over the past few weeks more than 150 young people in the Netherlands and in Dublin 7 have been busy making their tiny figures, in advance of bringing them together at Collins Barracks on 21st May.

Participants were asked to think about expressing themselves through their tiny sculptures.

As Stoereloer artist Mariese Schuurman explains:

“We wanted to invite young people to think about what makes them happy and what would they want to share with others?

“A big heart in your hands?

“Or an apple pie, which is a very Dutch type of present… Or it could be a musical instrument, or a jacket in rainbow colours or a cheerful cartwheel?

“We want all the ‘Little people’ to come together to form a world where we are all equal and in which we are connected.”

Speaking about the visiting artists’ workshop, Education Officer at the National Museum, Helen Beaumont said:

“The National Museum is thrilled to host this workshop for young people from our local community – and this event also provides an opportunity for all the participants of the ‘Little Houses’ project to gather together, in a way that was not possible when the exhibition launched last November, to celebrate this important visual record of the lived experience of young people during the pandemic.”

Pictured: Artists – Marjan Beuker (wearing glasses), Marsja Van Der Ven and Reina Visser with the sculpture