THE National Folklore Collection at University College Dublin is often an inspiration for artists. Niamh Coffey's current exhibition at An Chultúrlann shows the power of the archive in a different way as it's chopped up, used for collage and then made into rugs.

There's binary blurring here between humans and non-humans. While contemporary imagery is being bastardised and social media is cheapening the visual medium, at the same time we're offered a peek at curated global content, and the otherworldly charm of a good old tufted rug to hang on your wall is both refreshing and disturbing.

Textiles on our walls have gone out of fashion but they have both an aesthetic and sound-deadening effect and so would be great in a lobby or a contempory space that looks fantastic but lacks warmth. Niamh's rugs feature eyes and limbs of beings, known and unknown except perhaps in a dreamscape. The exhibition takes its title, Siúnta, from the Irish for seam or joint.

We're told: "Siúnta weaves together disparate narratives into an imagined non-hierarchical, non-binary ecological system."

Is that where society is heading? Probably not, but some would disagree. It's an epic body of work that deserves to be toured, taking a contemporary approach to Ireland's folkloric past with imagery that is fresh and engaging – and this is often difficult to do in the textile medium of rugs.

Niamh Coffey's Siúnta is at An Chultúrlann daily until May 1.

Upstairs in the Cultúrlann we are reminded that trauma, identity and memory are rich material for abstract works. The artist Juste Bernotaite's homeland is Lithuania and her research into the emotional and physical impact of trauma on the landscape informs her paintings, yet without this background knowledge one might see the bright abstract images as simply landscape. And yet the more you look the more you see. It requires patience and consideration to allow the paintings to open your visual perception.

The artist has been on a journey in terms of processing memories and trauma and when that happens wisdom is the result. Something we all need to remember as our society tries to move on.

Juste Bernotaite's What the Sky Sees is at An Chultúrlann daily until May 1.

Looking ahead, Thursday, April 3, is Late Night Art when all galleries are open late in the city. You can take the city's artistic pulse by seeking galleries and seeing what all the fuss is about. If you are not sure where everything is, ask at the first gallery and go from there.

Queen's University Belfast has a four-day festival on Arts and Sustainability. Organisers tell us: "The communication of issues such as the climate emergency and biodiversity is often complex, overwhelming, and difficult to comprehend for many members of society. Art is uniquely placed to reach new audiences, to connect science with emotion and action, and to bring people together in ways that develop shared knowledge and understanding while also encouraging a sense of hope." 

The festival is free and has a number of interesting events open to the public as well as staff and students, including Joe Lavery's photographic exhibition in the Quad at Queen's based on the ongoing tragedy that is Lough Neagh.

If you're interested in art as medicine there's an interesting talk on how art, music and community activities reduce stress, improve mood and foster connections.

Information on festival tickets and events can be found on qub.ac.uk