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THE queen of paper-cuts Irena Boobyer is visiting the kingdom and will be showing students on the island how to make intricate artwork from a single sheet of paper.
Fresh from a series of exhibitions in the UK, the retired British teacher who helped children with visual and multi-sensory impairments develop a love of art, will be arriving in Bahrain tonight.
Irena’s father was a Polish refugee from the Second World War. Her personal interest in papercutting originates from childhood summer holidays spent in Poland, where the rich cultural tradition of paper-cutting influenced her first experiments.
“My passion is paper-cutting,” she explained. “I develop ideas using a simple pair of scissors. Myth, storytelling and folklore are the main inspiration for my silhouettes of pattern and shape. “Traditional folded and unfolded paper-cuts from all cultures fascinate me.
I believe them to be an ancient, ageless part of humankind’s need to interpret and respond to the world we live in. “Some of the most basic paper cutting can be shapes that only take minutes to complete while other pieces take many hours to create.
“My personal interest in this art form originates from childhood summer holidays spent in Poland, where the rich cultural tradition of paper-cutting, called wycinanki, influenced my first experiments.
“I work mainly with black silhouette paper, combining freehand cutting with pre-sketched or photographed images. Whilst traditional motifs suggest a timeless link to the past I use photo-editing software to connect text and image to the present.”
Brought up in London, Irena, pictured left, moved to Devon at the age of 19 for a seasonal job. She has lived and worked in Devon ever since and is a member of Exmouth Contemporary Artists and the South West Textile Group. Her paper-cuts are intricate constructions that may include text, pattern and shape.
Irena’s work often evolves from a single sheet of paper or fabric where patterns and ideas are manipulated using a simple pair of scissors.
National Trust property A La Ronde near Exmouth and Killerton, one of Devon’s great estates, has hosted several of her exhibitions inspired by the feathers, friezes and decorative panels found at the unique building. Irena, 64, also presents the history of paper-cutting and demonstrates this intricate art form to art groups and regularly runs workshops.
Jacob Towner, one of her students at the specialist centre for visual impairment where she worked, designed a festive card for a member of the British parliament two years ago. MP Hugo Swire visited the facilities, met Irena, and thanked the 14-year-old in person.
The event was featured in the UK media. Irena will shortly be giving a tutorial to art students at the British School of Bahrain which recently opened a community art exhibition area at its Hamala premises and she will be meeting with St Christopher’s to see whether a similar session can be organised at its senior school in Isa Town.
