Liminal Belfast 2020 - 2022
My Role: Project Lead, Curator and Exhibiting Artist
Duration: Oct 2020, March 2021, March 2022
Funder: Arts Council NI, the Imagine Festival of Ideas and Politics, Bank of Ireland's Begin Together Arts Fund
Collaborators: Various artists and local residents. 9ft in Common.
Liminal - “relating to a transitional stage” or “occupying a position at both sides of a boundary".
This ongoing project is led and manged by artist and creative producer Meadhbh McIlgorm and is an extension of her both personal research interests in that which is ephemeral and her extensive experience in event and project management within the cultural sector. The 'between' spaces provide both the setting, theme and the context for the artworks shown.
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The concept was piloted with the 'Liminal [Space] Belfast Exhibition' in Oct 2020 with the support of the Arts Council Northern Ireland's 'Artist's Emergency Grant'. The grant was one of a series rolled out to support artists during the Covid-19 pandemic when lockdown decimated the established system of exhibitions, festivals and events and vastly reduced the amount of opportunities available for artists to work and earn income. Lockdown necessitated new ways of showing and producing art and this project was just one of the many creative responses dreamed up by artists.
So far the project has focused on the alleyways (also known as entries) between Belfast city's terraced housing. These are ‘liminal’, transitional sites - their ownership and function is often unclear but they hold much potential for development. The pandemic has had a significant impact on our relationships with public space across the city. During lockdown we were forced into spending more time at home and these spaces became more important as an extension of our outdoor space and provided an important connection to neighbours and socially distancing visitors... across Belfast, a quiet 'alleyway revolution' was occurring and through this we met several partners interested in continuing the conversation.
The Imagine Festival of Ideas and Politics got in touch and wondered if we'd be interested in producing something for the 2021 festival. With new partners 9ft in Common on board we came up with 'Limin-Alley' and project has grown significantly, to be less about an once off exhibition in an alternative location but rather about using art and design as a tool to encourage exploration and ideas for how these spaces could be better utilised across the city going forward.
A successful funding application later that year to The Business to Arts and Bank of Ireland's Begin Together Arts Fund provided yet another opportunity for alley-based art interventions in 2022 with Limin-Alley N:E:W. This event brought artists and artworks to the oft- neglected back alleyways of Belfast with 3 locally engaged exhibitions. Working in partnership with local residents of Marsden Gardens (north), Reid Street (east) and Rodney Drive (west) a range of events including talks, tours and workshops from commissioned artists and some special guests, welcomed visitors to these spaces over the weekend of March 26th and 27th.
Liminal [space] Belfast may not always be about alleyways but we are excited to be playing a part in this movement and look forward to seeing some more results.
