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KinShip: Weekend of free events at Tramore Valley Park

TuningintothePark_MarilynLennon-New

11th May 2022

In honour of World Biodiversity Day on 22nd May 2022, artists Marilyn Lennon and Sean Taylor, today (May 11th) announced The Becoming Kin Big Weekend at Tramore Valley Park supported by Cork City Council. Taking place over two days, it offers a range of exciting free events including walks, talks and workshops on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd May. All events are ‘citizen- led’ and promote this year’s theme ‘Building a Shared Future for All Life’. 

 Creative Ireland Coordinator and Arts Officer for Cork City Michelle Carew said:

 “The KinShip Project offers communities in Cork city an opportunity to respond creatively and critically to the ecological and climate challenges we face today through skill shares and creative action.”

 Practicing biodiversity is a key objective of ‘KinShip’, a long term public art initiative supported by Cork City Council and local partners with Creative Climate Action funding from Creative Ireland. According to the UN, biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges. “From nature-based solutions to climate, health issues, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, biodiversity is the foundation upon which we can build back better.” Tramore Valley Park has been the site of great environmental change. From 1964 to 2009, this site was used as a landfill for Cork city. The remediated landfill site opened as a public park in 2019 and now offers a biodiverse landscape with huge potential for nurturing and appreciation.

 The overall aim of the KinShip art project is to develop a deeper sense of connection between the people of Cork and the ecology of the park. 

 According to KinShip lead artists Marilyn Lennon and Sean Taylor, 

 “This project is an opportunity to develop a new relationship, to ‘become kin’, with the park, modelling care as a civic responsibility to all its inhabitants. This is a space to alter our mindset about the relationship we have with the natural world, to address the legacy of ‘throw away’ culture and to engage with new modes of managing waste.”

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