'Beyond the Yarn' exhibits in Foxford Woollen Mills
Ballyheane native Jonathon O’Dea was given full access to Foxford Woollen Mills to create new work
A NEWLY commissioned piece of work, ‘Beyond the Yarn’, inspired by the Foxford Woollen Mills, is now on display from April 18 to May 17.
Created by Ballyheane native Jonathan O’Dea, ‘Beyond the Yarn’ sets out to reimagine the tactile qualities of textiles through the lens of contemporary sculpture.
The Mayo man, who is now based in London, is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors (MRSS) and has over 20 years of experience.
Canvas to Construction
WHILE previously expressing his creativity through painting, it was only in the last 15 years that the London-based artist delved into the theory of deconstructed art.
While living and working in East London, surrounded by industrial estates and disregarded materials, he began collecting objects.
“I didn’t feel I was doing anything particularly different as a painter,” he tells The Mayo News.
“But these objects - they had their own aesthetic, their own history.”
With the development of the London Olympic Park underway ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, O’Dea was among a small group of artists who were granted permission to access the park. While others sketched or filmed, he sought out the materials themselves. So began his passion for sustainable art.
Returning to Mayo
OVER a year ago, during a visit to Mayo, O’Dea was invited by Mayo County Council to speak at a festival which they hosted in Belmullet. Following a visit to Belmullet, the artist visited Foxford Woollen Mills.
“It really intrigued me that they had their yarns out on display. The colours were very vivid. I thought to myself, there might be a way of incorporating yarn into my sculpture.”
In September 2025, Director Joe Queenan granted O’Dea full access to Foxford Woollen Mills, providing an unprecedented opportunity to explore the Mill’s workshops, observe textile production, and create a new sculptural work incorporating Foxford’s renowned yarns and fibres.
“Last September, I went back to Foxford. I spent three or four days in Mayo - two of which were in Foxford Woollen Mills.
“I was in the workshop seeing what kind of materials they use and the weaving process. And with that, I went to the Museum of Country Life in Turlough to look at the historical practices of weaving,” he added.
Beyond the Yarn
‘BEYOND the Yarn’ reimagines the tactile qualities of textiles through the lens of contemporary sculpture. The piece includes Foxford yarns - rich in hues that evoke Mayo’s boglands and heather - infusing his work with new layers of cultural and environmental resonance.
So, how did the piece come together?
“I got wood from wooden pallets to create a frame to act as the support for the weave, which is generally known as weaving. But the loom is a tool, a mechanism to create the weave. But what I’d done was create the sculpture as a permanent shape, which becomes more integrated into a more cohesive sculpture.
“The centrepiece of the piece is a piece of stone, and that stone came from the windy gap. After doing some research, I was able to do some research to determine that the particular stone is very unique to certain parts of North Mayo,” he added.
READ MORE: 'Mayo has been treated as an afterthought' – TD calls for major infrastructure investment
Open Interpretation
As with much abstract work, O’Dea resists prescribing meaning. Audience response, he believes, is part of the process.
“With abstract art, the brain has to work a bit harder,” he says. “People bring their own interpretation.”
Having previously focused much of his artistic practice on painting, O’Dea sees a noticeable difference between the perception of his work now and previously.
“When you do a painting of a landscape, it is what it is. If you do a portrait of somebody, it is what it is. But with abstract art, the brain has to work a bit harder in a sense - it’s a bit more challenging,” he added.