Looking away from political leadership to the inspiration of Northern Ireland’s citizens, the BGFA@25 arts programme championed our diverse communities’ resilience in sustaining 25 years of peace and non-violence in the face of conflict.
You can learn more about After the Rain and Agreement at their corresponding webpages. Here, we focus on a series of conferences and seminars with artists, and the publication of a book of research entitled…
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
What role can the arts and creativity play in navigating unresolved concerns, ongoing debates and controversial questions for our communities?
Exploring complex topics, from reconciliation and truth-telling in the context of colonialism to polarising social or political issues, this series of talks, interviews, readings and panels feature exchanges between leading artists and researchers from Northern Ireland, Canada and Australia about difficult conversations we need to have today.
A collaboration between Ulster University and University of Canberra as part of the British Council’s UK/Australia Season 2022.
Some of Northern Ireland’s leading performance artists since the 1970s discuss the role of the artist in conflicted public spaces, navigating subjects including violence against women, political conflict, clerical sexual abuse and our relationship with power.
2021 winners of the Turner Prize, Array Collective, discuss their art-making as activism for women and LGBTQ+ rights and share some practical lessons in how to continue working as a collective despite obstacles and recognition by establishment interests.
A case study between a human rights filmmaker and acclaimed visual artist sharing a common interest in documenting inter-generational social trauma through places and landscapes that have experienced political violence.
A reading of selected works exploring issues relating to First Nations experiences in Canada, in particular, violence perpetrated against indigenous women and the complexities of being an artistic ally to indigenous rights.
Frank Ferguson talks with Elinor Davies, James Ward and Carolann North about their written work covering subjects ranging from domestic experiences of ‘The Troubles’ to immigrant communities, afrofuturism and the future of Northern Ireland.
On the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Belfast ‘Good Friday’ Agreement, British Council Northern Ireland published a collection of research by contributors to Difficult Conversations. This event involves some of those contributors joined by an audience of delegates from existing or former conflict zones around the world, including Colombia, South Africa, Ukraine and Indonesia.
At the launch of the book, Ulster University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor and artist, Prof Paul Seawright, hosts a conversation with some of its contributors – Dr. Paul Collis and Dr. Jen Crawford from University of Canberra, and Prof Brandon Hamber and Dr. Sandra Johnston from Ulster University.
Difficult Conversations is a project supported by British Council in partnership with Ulster University and University of Canberra. A number of conversations are hosted and can be viewed at www.adifficultconversation.com