Amber’s One Million Stars is in the market for LOVE in Kilkenny

Amber’s One Million Stars ‘LOVE’ star installation launched recently in Market Cross Shopping Centre.  The ‘LOVE’ installation, which contains thousands of stars woven by individual weavers and weaving groups in Kilkenny, will be at Market Cross until the Summer.  This follows the project’s successful partnership with Yulefest Kilkenny late last year when hundreds of additional stars were woven and added to the installation by local star weavers.

Locals are urged to register as a star weaver at www.onemillionstarsireland.ie, weave a star and tie their stars to LOVE at Market Cross.  An online tutorial on how to weave stars is available on the website.  Stars can be woven in any weatherproof material and weavers can choose to personalise their stars with their name or a message.  Amber Women’s Refuge, in partnership with Market Cross Shopping Centre and with the support of the public aims to add an additional 1,000 stars to LOVE throughout its display at the Centre.  

Each eight-point star represents light, hope and solidarity against domestic, sexual and gender based violence, while promoting the project’s eight points of healthy love within relationships. Amber’s ’LOVE’ installation is designed to spread love and hope for a future free from violence and abuse for all in our community.    

Speaking at the launch, Siobhan McQuillan, Project Lead, Amber One Million Star’s Ireland said “We are so grateful to Lesley Cleere and her team in Market Cross for the opportunity to display ‘LOVE’ for the coming months. Market Cross is a wonderful high traffic location for us to spread the project’s message and continue raising awareness of the issue of domestic, sexual and gender based violence. Engagement with and support from the local community is vital for our project, which connects us all in solidarity against all forms of violence.”

“Recent tragic events have again brought the issue of violence, specifically violence against women, to the fore and touched us all.  Amber’s One Million Stars Ireland project raises awareness of the issue of violence in an engaging and inclusive way.  We’re delighted to extend the Centre as a location for the ‘LOVE’ star installation.  We would urge our customers and visitors to weave stars to help the project reach its one million stars goal and to use ‘LOVE’ as a way to start conversations about safety, respect, consent and healthy relationships.” said Lesley Cleere, Manager, Market Cross Shopping Centre.

Amber’s One Million Stars Ireland project is an inclusive community arts project connecting communities across Ireland in solidarity against domestic, sexual and gender based violence (DSGBV).  Founded in 2019, the project was brought to Ireland and is being directed here by Art Therapist Siobhan McQuillan and Amber Women’s Refuge.  It is part of the global One Billion Stars project, founded in Australia in 2012 by artist Maryann Talia Pau after the rape and murder of an Irish woman living in Melbourne.  Amber’s One Million Stars Ireland project works with diverse groups, businesses and individual star weavers across the country.  There are now star weaving communities in 18 counties across Ireland, who collectively have already woven 100,000 stars to end violence in Ireland.  The youngest star weaver is five years of age, the eldest is 89. 

www.onemillionstarsireland.ie