Piece Makers goes Back to the Future while celebrating the past
The DeLorean car as featured in Back To The Future is the inspiration behind one of the bespoke items by Piece Makers.
THE past and the present are brought together in perfect unison in Piece Makers' exciting new range of designs being stocked by museums across Northern Ireland, with icons of Irish history transformed into beautiful keepsakes through the use of cutting-edge laser technology.
The new range of products from this thriving bespoke jewellery and keepsake items business – founded in Derry in 2013 by businesswoman, Joanne Doherty – will be available in gift shops at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the Ulster Transport Museum in Holywood, and the Ulster American Folk Park in Co. Tyrone.
Based on some of the museums' most crowd-pleasing exhibits, the latest offerings from Piece Makers reflect a host of cultural touchstones, from the rustic authenticity of Irish homesteads, to the futuristic fantasy of the time-travelling DeLorean from the Back to the Future movies.
One of the Ulster Museum's more popular residents, Peter the Polar Bear, has been captured in all his playfulness by Piece Makers, transformed into a cuddly critter that the kids are sure to love.
Keeping with the animal kingdom theme is the Ulster Museum's Girona salamander, an exquisite piece wrought from gold and mounted with rubies which was recovered from the wreck of a Spanish Armada ship that sank off the coast of the Giants Causeway in 1588. Piece Makers' version may not feature actual rubies, but the end result is still an item of jewellery fit for a Spanish Queen.
Two slightly less glamourous – but no less winsome in their own way – animals resident at the Ulster American Folk Park have also provided the model for a pair of designs; a humble chicken, and a charmingly buck-toothed donkey have been depicted in all their farmyard glory.
“I have such fond memories of visiting the Ulster American Folk Park in my home county of Tyrone.”
The authentic period detail of the Folk Park in its recreation of three centuries of Irish emigration lends itself to some wonderful sepia-toned images of yesteryear, such as an old-time corner shop or homestead in earthy shades, and the sturdy structure of a Conestoga wagon. The centrepiece of the Folk Park, the Mellon Homestead, the birthplace cottage of Thomas Mellon in 1813, has also been captured in loving detail.
Piece Makers is especially proud to be involved with the Ulster American Folk Park, located in Joanne's home county of Tyrone, and a sense of nostalgia has informed the work on these pieces.
“I have such fond memories of visiting the Ulster American Folk Park in my home county of Tyrone, so to have my pieces included in their beautiful gift shop is a dream come true,” Joanne says.
Also in the mix are two designs based on exhibits at the Ulster Transport Museum which together illustrate a potted history of Northern Irish industry, from the days of steam locomotion at the start of the 20th century up to the high-tech innovations of the 1980s.
‘Maedb’ (or Maeve as she is known in English) was one of three locomotives designed and built in 1939 at the Great Southern Railway’s Inchicore works in Dublin. ‘Maedb’ entered service in July 1939 and immediately set a new record time for the Dublin to Cork service. The Piece Makers design shows the steam train in thundering form on that momentous journey, racing into the history books.
And from Ireland's past to Back to the Future, as the famous DeLorean car – best known to the world as the time machine that transports Marty McFly back to 1955 in the box-office smash film – has provided the blueprint for a stylish lapel pin. Once touted as a symbol of a new economic dawn in Northern Ireland, the DeLorean instead signalled a loss of some $100 million and led to the once glamorous American businessmen John DeLorean ending up bankrupt and fighting drug-smuggling charges. The car enjoyed a new lease of life in popular culture thanks to its part in the Back to the Future movies, and fans can now take home their own miniature version – mini Marty McFly not included!
Peter the Polar Bear, resident at the Ulster Museum, and (inset) the bespoke design by Piece Makers.
In contrast to the umber and ochre of most of the other pieces in this collection, by nature of its modernistic design the DeLorean is rendered in brushed silver and black, lending it a vibrant glint and gleam.
The effect is reinforced by the state-of-the-art laser technology Joanne employs to create her pieces; the laser removes the top layer of the material being used, revealing whatever is underneath. Joanne is involved in the entire creative process, along with her designer, the Italian-born Anita Arvelo.
“It is really exciting to be using state-of-the-art technology to create each of these pieces. I also love that these are wood, and tactile, sustainable, not something to throw out. They can be lasting memories of when you last went to the museum and a reminder to visit again. Where we live is so beautiful, and I want to showcase that,” Joanne says.
This exciting new project came about following Joanne's appearance at Showcase Ireland, where she successfully won a pitch along with eight other designers from the Derry and Strabane area through Invest Northern Ireland and the Fashion Hub, where Joanne works. Her designs caught the attention of Catherine McGoldrick, retail manager with National Museums Northern Ireland, who was suitably impressed enough to request specific pieces.
“I am so grateful to Catherine McGoldrick for giving me the opportunity to make these iconic pieces that will sit in these prestigious museums,” Joanne enthuses.
In total, Piece Makers is providing some 510 individual items to the various museums, which is sure to further strengthen its legacy as a Northern Irish business devoted to preserving Irish heritage.
“I hope the decorations and DeLorean lapel pin will showcase the beautiful buildings, animals, jewellery and transport, and I want people to be able to see the intricate work of the laser. When the pieces are hanging on their Christmas tree or against a window, they will appreciate the lumiere effect of the light coming through and be reminded that they can go and actually see every one of these images in the Northern Ireland Museums,” says Joanne.
For more, contact Joanne at 0044 (0) 7882833701, email her at joanne@piecemakersworld@gmail.com, or visit the website at www.piecemakersgifts.com. And check out the National Museums Northern Ireland website at www.nmni.com.