The interview with Gwen Stevenson was conducted by Dr. Pauline Hadaway for University of Liverpool Recovering the Art of Reconciliation workshop at Arts Council NI, 27 June 2024. The Art of Reconciliation is a Database of Arts-Based Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland.
Since the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, support for cultural activities promoting reconciliation post-‘the Troubles’ has grown. Despite more funding and evaluations, there’s a lack of accessible data on the arts in peacebuilding, with much information tucked away in obscure archives or within the arts community itself.
In partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and key stakeholders, we’ve created the Database of Arts-Based Peacebuilding. This resource compiles information on regional arts projects since the peace process began around 1994, offering an easily navigable and searchable database.
As a practicing artist, Stevenson embarked on a poignant year-long durational performance to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. From February 14, 2023, to February 14, 2024, she crossed the UK/Ireland border daily, reciting the names and ages of those whose anniversaries of death, fatal injury, or disappearance coincided with each date.
Titled Memorial/UnMemorial, the work explores the themes of remembrance and memorialization in Northern Ireland’s contemporary context. Serving as both a memorial and an “unmemorial,” it questioned the necessity or absence of a collective memorial, inviting viewers to reflect on these complexities.
Stevenson created a 3’15” film as the culmination of this journey, using daily footage and soundtracks. The film was shown in March 2024 at Belfast Exposed Photography Gallery in a curated reflective space that allowed visitors to engage with the narrative at their own pace, prompting contemplation on the legacy of conflict and the impact of memorialization. Belfast Exposed, known for showcasing thought-provoking narratives and visual stories, provided an ideal setting for Memorial/UnMemorial.
Key Aims and Rationale By Gwen Stevenson
This work is a deeply personal endeavor for me, rooted in my experiences and reflections on the profound impact of the Troubles. As someone who relocated to Northern Ireland nearly two decades ago, I grappled with the weight of our complex history and the ongoing trauma the conflict has left in its wake. At its core, “Memorial/UnMemorial” seeks to humanize the statistics of the Troubles, to shed light on the profound impact of loss and to create a platform for dialogue and understanding.
Above all, I hope to ensure that the loss of life and the suffering of families and communities is not forgotten amidst discussions of moving on and looking forward. The act of crossing the Northern Ireland border daily is physical and symbolic.
The symbolism of borders as divisions is a powerful theme, and this project highlights the evolution of the landscape from a place of conflict to one of normalcy and routine. The inclusion of mundane, everyday scenes contributes to a narrative of continuity and change. It serves as a visual representation of the resilience and adaptability of our communities that have experienced conflict, demonstrating how life has moved on despite the historical challenges. So the project not only memorializes the past but also captures the present reality, showing the border as a living entity that has transformed over time. I wanted to humanize not only the statistics but also the space, emphasizing that it is not frozen in the past but has evolved into a place where people go about their daily lives.
I choose this time to make the work because it was the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the 40th anniversary of Belfast Exposed, and the 10th anniversary of the Imagine Festival. It was a time of anniversaries and sadly, every day of the year marks the anniversary of someone’s death as a result of the conflict here. Every day for the year, I spent time with the stories of each person who lost their life on that date and then crossed the UK/Ireland border, reciting their names and ages. This act evolved into a ritual of remembrance for myself and a growing group of followers as I uploaded the daily footage on social media.
At the end of the year, I collated this footage into the over three-hour film that showed in a curated reflective space at Belfast Exposed alongside the daily reels. I hope that the work contributes something to how we live with the enduring legacy of the conflict and navigates sensitivities surrounding remembrance and memorialization.
2 Comments
Thank you
This is Splendid, Gwen.
I'm Glad to see you getting the recognition you deserve ! Such a brilliant , immensely valuable and moving piece of work.