The Shape of History
Sculpting the convict women of Van Diemen’s Land
Rowan Gillespie is internationally renowned for his bronze sculptures such as Famine (1997) on Custom House Quay in Dublin, and Migrants (2006) in Toronto and regarded as one of the great figurative sculptors in Irish art.
Rowan was commissioned to produce a series of sculptures to be erected on the harbour in Tasmania as a memorial to the many thousands of Irish women who were sent to the penal colonies of Van Dieman’s land in Australia during the 19th century. Between 1803 and 1853 almost 13,000 convict women , together with more than 2,000 children, were transported from Ireland to Van Diemen’s Land, with many more perishing during the long and arduous sea journey from Ireland to Tasmania.
Each figure created by Gillespie has a tremendous weight of thought and meticulous research behind them, being not just symbolic representations of people, but actual characters, each with their own story. The women who were sent from Ireland were often transported for the smallest of crimes (7 years hard labour for stealing a handkerchief for example), and the stories behind them are both tragic and fascinating.
The cameras follow Gillespie on a personal journey over the course of the documentary, as he explores their fascinating stories with historians and researchers here in Ireland and then travels from his foundry and workshop in Dublin (not far from Dun Laoghaire, then known as Kingstown, the harbour from which the convict ships sailed), and on to Tasmania. Here he works with local historians and researchers to explore the circumstances and controversial history of the penal colony in which these women found themselves following their transportation, and his search for the descendants of these women who will represent them as the models for his sculptures.
We follow Gillespie on a personal journey of historical and artistic discovery; well spoken, reflective and engaging, he will lead the documentary; meeting local
Tasmanian historians, Irish historians and the descendants of the convicts themselves, hearing their stories and incorporating them into his art.
It is not only the beauty of his work that sets Gillespie apart from other sculptors in bronze working in Ireland, but the painstaking method he uses to create each of his major projects, working completely alone from conception to the final unveiling of the finished piece, with absolute dedication to his subject matter. The documentary follows the entire process of creation, following the sculptures from his foundry in Ireland to their unveiling in Australia.
We end with the unveiling of his work in Tasmania, by Irish President, Michael D Higgins, as the Irish women of Van Diemen’s Land are remembered and finally given a fitting monument to their strength and fortitude in the face of incredible hardship and cruelty.
The documentary is directed and produced by John Higgins and Shane Brennan, and the historical storytelling will be brought to life with animation by Ronan Coyle (A Doctor’s Sword, The Lost Letter) and narration by Karen Ardiff.
TX: Thursday 24th June at 10.15 PM on RTÉ One