What’s on in the Arts
1st June, 2022
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Northern Ireland Opera: each Sunday afternoon until 3 July, join Northern Ireland Opera on Belfast's historic Maritime Mile for free pop-up concerts. Stay for an hour or drop by for an aria or two! Each week they’ll be delivering a different pop-up performance with artists from their Studio, Associate Artists programmes and from their past productions.
This is a pilot programme organised by the Maritime Mile to encourage people to explore and enjoy the historic Titanic Quarter in Belfast. As well as the Northern Ireland Opera performances there are also pop-ups by folk and bluegrass bands and performers so you can while away a musical afternoon by the Lagan. Upcoming performances include:
- 5th June, 2pm: Vocalist Harry Lambert (Into The Woods) SS Nomadic
- 12th June, 2pm, Soprano Rachael Heater (La Traviata 2022), pianist Lorraine Stanley SS Nomadic
- 19th June, 2pm, Bass-baritone Ryan Garnham (La Traviata 2022, past Associate Artist), pianist Lorraine Stanley, RiverBox (Titanic Slipways)
- 26th June: TBC - check their website for updates.
- 3rd July, 2pm, Soprano Susan Shepherd (La Traviata 2022), pianist Lorraine Stanley, SS Nomadic
The MAC: presents Duke Special and Friend: It was Only a Dream on 30 June at 7:45pm.
Join Duke Special and friends for a night of songs discovered from old sheet music and performed with a stellar house band made up of Seán Óg Graham and Niamh Dunne (Beoga), Mark McCambridge (Arborist), Rachel McCarthy (Darkling Air), Nick Scott, bass (for artists including Mary Black, Sir Van Morrison & Sinead O’Connor), and Steve Davis, drums (for artists including Sir Van Morrison, Mark Ribot, Django Bates & Matthew Bourne), and very special guest, the MAC's Artist In Residence pianist Ruth McGinley. Visit www.themaclive.com
Jazzlife Alliance and Jazz Juniors return with a series of dates in June and August.
David Lyttle & Phil Robson + Jazz Juniors
19 June, 2pm, Flowerfield Arts Centre
David Lyttle & Jazz Juniors
6 & 7 August, Hillsborough Castle
Visit www.davidlyttle.com
Duncairn: presents a series of live music including:
- 12 June – Super Sunday Big Breakfast Session
- 23 June - Rufous Nightjar, a three-part harmony trio consisting of Branwen Kavanagh, Anna Mieke and Zoe Basha.
- 25 June - First Fortnight, a festival that aims to challenge stigma around mental health through the arts. Compered by Stephen James Smith and featuring Ciaran Lavery, Nandi Jola and Pete r Murphy.
- 2 July – The Whileaways. Instinctive sibling-like harmonies, captivating lyrics and melodies mark The Whileaways sound, which has been described as “perfected simplicity” and the band as “masters of arrangement and song-writing “(Irish Echo, USA) .
The Ulster Orchestra presents a series of concerts including,
3 June – Rustioni conducts a postcard from the USA
The Season ends with another musical postcard – this time a riotous carnival of rhythm from the USA! The programme includes:
Bernstein Symphonic Dances: West Side Story
Copland Clarinet Concerto
Jessie Montgomery Banner
Gershwin Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture
To view the full programme and to purchase tickets visit www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk
Ulster Orchestra: presents Salon Sessions. With the aim to expand their support of and collaboration with local music artists, the Ulster Orchestra is launched an exciting new digital series, Salon Sessions, which is available to watch on their YouTube channel. Salon Sessions is free to view. For further information on Salon Sessions, please visit www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk
Oh Yeah Music Centre: is delighted to reveal a sixth series of its Women’s Work Festival, 2-5 June 2022, a festival that is open and welcoming to all while placing women in music at the heart of each event. Audiences can look forward to a classic album night celebrating the 30th anniversary of one of Ireland’s best-selling albums of all time, A Woman’s Heart. Six artists including Brigid O’Neill, Bernadette Morris, Rose Connolly, Ria Maguire, Ciara O’Neill and Edel Ní Churraoin will revisit each track made great by Maura O'Connell, Frances Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Eleanor McEvoy and Mary Black.
The NI Music exhibition at Oh Yeah is the only permanent exhibit for popular music in Northern Ireland. There is much to see, including a series of storyboards documenting and plotting the history and the stories of Folk, Punk, Rock, Jazz and more.
Exhibition Opening Times
Mon – Fri: 10am-4pm
Sat: 12-5pm
To enquire about a visit, or for further info and group bookings please contact info@ohyeahbelfast.com or call 02890310845
Moving On Music: presents a series of concerts including:
2 June – Rachel Newton, The American Bar8 June – Matmos, The Sonic Lab
3 July – 13 Vices (New Music Biennial), Southbank Centre
For further info visit www.movingonmusic.com
Northern Ireland Opera: presents one of the most beautiful operas ever written, La Traviata, which returns to The Grand Opera House on 10, 13, 15 and 17 September 2022. Join Northern Ireland Opera as they present a brand-new production of one of the most popular operas of all time: the much-loved and cherished La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.
La Traviata tells the tragic love story of the beautiful courtesan Violetta Valéry and the romantic Alfredo Germont. After falling hopelessly in love the two leave the dizzying heights of Paris society for the country, but their relationship threatens to shame Alfredo’s family name. His father confronts Violetta and demands that she leaves Alfredo. In a desperate act of self-sacrifice Violetta agrees, but her decision has terrible consequences.
This stunning new production comprising four performances is sure to delight and move audiences of all ages. It is perfect for anyone looking to experience an opera for the first time as well as for existing opera fans. Northern Ireland Opera is delighted to engage with the Ulster Orchestra to bring this masterpiece with its gloriously romantic score to life. Visit www.niopera.com
Northern Ireland Opera also present the 12th Glenarm Festival of Voice, 26-28 August 2022. Join Northern Ireland Opera and BBC Radio 3 in the beautiful coastal village of Glenarm this August for our annual celebration of song: The Glenarm Festival of Voice. Now in its twelfth year, this much-loved event brings together BBC Radio 3 recitals, outreach events, performances their Artist Development Programme and culminates in the Competition Finale where five singers from across the island of Ireland compete in front of a live jury panel to win the Deborah Voigt Opera Prize and become the NI Opera Voice of 2022. Applications to enter the vocal competition are now open – if you are between the ages of 18-28, born on the island of Ireland and either a singer pursuing career in opera or as a professional pianist. Visit www.niopera.com
The Black Box: presents a series of concerts this spring. For further information visit www.blackboxbelfast.com
Scott’s Jazz Club: Scott's Jazz Club runs a weekly concert in Ballyhackamore club 1a Sandown Road every Friday Night from 9pm. The club provides a welcoming environment for world class jazz music to be experienced in a concert setting. For upcoming performances visit https://www.scottsjazzclub.com/
Portico of Ards: presents a new programme of events for 2022 visit porticoards.com
A highlight is the “Phenomenal” choir Tenebrae. Described as “phenomenal” (The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Magazine), award-winning choir Tenebrae is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, renowned for its passion and precision. On Friday 24 June, Tenebrae Consort is coming to Northern Ireland - for one night only - to perform at the Portico of Ards arts and heritage centre in Portaferry.
Tenebrae is renowned for its highly-acclaimed interpretations of choral music ranging from the Renaissance through to contemporary choral masterpieces, and has appeared at major festivals and venues including the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival, Leipzig Gewandhaus (Germany) and Melbourne Festival (Australia).
The Tenebrae Consort’s visit to Portico is the jewel in the crown of this year’s classical music programme, supported by National Lottery Project Funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. The programme, entitled ‘When Sleep Comes’, includes pieces by Foreshaw, Gibbons, Hildegard von Bingen and Tallis. For details on the programme or to book please visit porticoards.com
Another major highlights features Arts Council Major Individual Artist award recipient, Ian Wilson.
MLADENOVIĆ & WILSON : VIOLIN & PIANO, 17 JULY 2022, 3PM
The Mladenović-Wilson duo bring together an outstanding Serbian violinist with one of Ireland’s leading composers, also a pianist in his own right. As a duo, Dušica Mladenović and Ian Wilson explore a wide range of music from classical greats such as Schubert and musical mavericks like Erik Satie to more contemporary work by the likes of Arvo Pärt and Wilson himself. The programme includes:
Sonata in A minor, op.137 (1816, 23’) Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Fratres (1977, 11’) Arvo PÄRT (b.1935)
from the Book of Longing (1996, 12’) Ian WILSON (b.1964)
Socrates Ungraved (1918/2016, 27’) Erik SATIE (1866-1925) / Ian WILSON
ITMA: 'Drawing from the Well' is an online monthly ITMA series which connects artists with archival materials to inspire new art. To date, nine videos, podcasts and blogs have been created by leading traditional musicians, singers, and dancers, including Louise Mulcahy, Martin Hayes, Edwina Guckian and Cormac Begley. All episodes are free to view online at https://www.itma.ie/drawingfromthewell
Phil Taggart: ChillDaBeats is the brand new show from NI DJ, Phil Taggart. Every week he brings you a soft focus selection of the best alternative chill sounds along with the biggest guests picking some brain soothers in the Soul Food Selection. ChillDaBeats goes live every Sunday. Listen on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/0M2IpL7ldc1Rui2aa9meX3 This podcast series is supported by emergency funding through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Department for Communities.
Tommy Sands and Artsawonder: In this new online film series, legendary musician, Tommy Sands, films, sings, listens and learns from a singing five times world champion drum major Alan McBride, two young women, Jenna Stevenson and Wendy Graham Hanna, who initiate and drive an Arts hub shop, a rhythmic drum weaver rhythmic drum weaver Damien McKeown and a young woman Bronagh Kelly who lovingly echoes the poetry of her mother. To watch visit Media | Artsawonder (wixsite.com)
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents Music Corner, the best of traditional music with great traditional musicians every Saturday. Visit https://www.facebook.com/AnChulturlann/
FILM, LITERATURE, DANCE & DRAMA
Kabosh: presents The Shedding of Skin, a play inspired by women in conflict.
The Shedding of Skin, produced by Belfast-based Kabosh, is a poetic, multi-layered howl of rage, giving voice to the thousands of women who have suffered abuse in all corners of the world. The play is written by Armagh playwright Vittoria Cafolla, directed by Kabosh Artistic Director Paula McFetridge and stars an all-female cast.
The production will be performed at the Playhouse Theatre on June 3 and 4 at 8pm, at the Marketplace Theatre in Armagh on June 8 at 8pm and at the Lyric Theatre from June 14-18 at 8pm and on June 18- 19 at 3pm. To book tickets visit https://kabosh.net/production/the-shedding-of-skin/
C21 Theatre: has announced a brand-new online play called Brenda’s Baby. This gripping piece of urban theatre is based on the true story of the struggle of a mother who has her new born taken into care after only five days, due to her drug addiction. The play, which explores her fight to win her baby back, will be streamed online in June 2022. A series of workshops will take place in collaboration with Women’s Aid groups across NI and will feature live excerpts from the production.
Written by Tom Rowntree-Finlay and directed by Stephen Kelly, Brenda’s Baby is a redemption story told through the eyes of Brenda played by Rosie McClelland and her grown up son Jacob played by Conor O’Donnell, who also plays a range of other characters. Brenda’s Baby explores her struggles against drugs, homelessness, a controlling partner, and the social services as she fights to win her baby back. A mix of poetry and hard-edged flashback scenes will take audiences on a whirlwind journey of Brenda’s life. The story is based on a true-life experience of a young mother from Belfast. Visit www.c21theatrecompany.com
Tinderbox: In August 2022, Tinderbox will premiere award-winning writer Kat Woods’ astonishing new play as part of Edinburgh Fringe followed by a two-week production at the Duncairn Arts Centre. The one woman play will feature animation and incredible sound design that will reveal the theme of shame and trans-generational trauma through powerful and rich storytelling. Birds of Passage in the Half Light will work in partnership with Alliance for Choice and Nexus NI in the delivery of a unique participatory programme. Kat Woods previous plays Mule, Belfast Boy and Killymuck received huge critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in previous years and we are delighted to present this powerful tour de force at the Gilded Balloon this August. For more information visit www.tinderbox.org.uk
Grand Opera House: presents a series of shows including the highlights below:
- CHICAGO Mon 06 Jun 2022 - Sat 11 Jun 2022
- Jersey Boys Wed 15 Jun 2022 - Sat 25 Jun 2022
- In the Name of the Son Mon 25 Jul 2022 - Sat 30 Jul 2022
For tickets and the full programme please visit www.goh.co.uk
The Lyric Theatre: presents a new programme for 2022 with highlights including,
- Stones in his Pockets, 7 June – 3 July
- Breadboy, 28-31 July 2022
For further details on all events and to buy tickets visit www.lyrictheatre.co.uk
DU Dance (NI): presents Belfast Boys, physical dance theatre for boys aged 7-11 years at the Crescent Arts Centre. Classes at 2-3pm every Saturday. No experience is necessary. Book at info@dudanceni.com
Echo Echo: presents Introduction to Body Wisdom Movement for Over 50s on Tuesday evenings 7pm - 9pm at Echo Echo's studios on Magazine Street, Derry-Londonderry. Join Echo Echo for a short introductory evening course in Body Wisdom Movement and Dance for the over 50s led by Echo Echo's Artistic Director Steve Batts.
Of course moving is healthy, physically and psychologically but we aren't striving for those benefits. In our experience they come best as a by-product of exploring movement as a shared, poetic artistic process. The approach Echo Echo take is that older people have enormous poetic potential embedded in their movement lives. Echo Echo take away the expectations that are usually attached to dance as an art - extreme mobility, athleticism, agility - and begin from where people are.
Any men and women 50 years and upwards can join, no matter the level of physical ability or experience. To register please visit https://www.echoechodance.com/whatson/introduction-to-body-wisdom-movement-dance
For more details on al of Echo Echo’s classes and events visit www.echoechodance.com
The Lyric Theatre and BBC Arts Lights Up: presents, Rough Girls, available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0015694/lights-up-series-2-rough-girls
A century after the formation of the first Northern Irish women’s football team, Derry Girls’ Tara Lynne O’Neill’s debut play, enacted by an all-female cast, chronicles the courage and determination of the women who became known as the suffragettes of soccer. Rough Girls was filmed for television at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, with a socially distanced audience, for BBC Arts.
The Playhouse: On the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, The Playhouse in Londonderry presented The White Handkerchief performed in the city's historic Guildhall. This performance recreates the events of 30 January, 1972 and tells the stories of those who were killed and injured on Bloody Sunday. And it features a new generation of talent from Derry and beyond. This new film from BBC Northern Ireland documents the play's development from page to stage over a period of nine months. It includes the creators, local cast members and the families of the victims. Available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. www.derryplayhouse.co.uk
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich and Quotidian: presents Poetry Jukebox. Poetry Jukebox are #ChangingTheMessage! This project aims to share beautiful, profound and life-affirming words and change the words on our streets, opening hearts and minds, putting poetry to work where it belongs: everywhere, for everyone.
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich is proud to host the first-ever Irish language Poetry Jukebox curation from February 2022. ‘Cead Aighnis: Leave to Speak’ is a collection of 20 contemporary poems, read by the poets themselves, and with translation to English. Curated by celebrated poet Celia de Fréine, it includes work from Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, Máire Mhac a tSaoi, Proinsias Mac a Bhaird, Philip Cummings and many, many more.
As well as pressing buttons on the physical jukebox outside the Cultúrlann, poetry-lovers will be able to listen online at https://www.culturlann.ie/en
BBC Dance Passion: Don’t miss Flight, a short dance film about that universal desire to fly, led by Northern Ireland choreographer/Co-Director, Jennifer Rooney and Co-Director, Ciarán Haggerty, commissioned by BBC Dance Passion. Flight is part of the BBC series A Season of Arts and available to view now on BBC iPlayer. The film explores that most universal theme - a child’s desire to fly. To watch Flight visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014fqd
Crescent Arts Centre: has launched a new season of the Crescent’s Creative Learning Programme where you can explore a hobby, brush up on your creative talents, or have a go at something new. Visit https://crescentarts.org/courses
Seamus Heaney HomePlace: has released details of their new winter-spring 2022 seasonal programme of events. Visit www.seamusheaneyhome.com for tickets and information.
Millennium Forum: presents a new programme for 2022 .Visit www.millenniumforum.co.uk for tickets and to view the full performance programme.
Declan McConaghy Show: Newry based former BBC broadcaster, Declan McConaghy has created a new serfies of short films where he talks in-depth to creatives from Newry and the surrounding area who have made a contribution to theatre, music, dance and the performing arts in general. The view the films visit https://www.facebook.com/DMCSHOW or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaH9LxmhE8O1Af3Csk-k6vA
Terra Nova Productions: presents The Trumpet & The King which will be staged between on 14th-15th June 2022 in Queens Hall, Newtownards, and on 17-19th June 2022 in Vault Theatre, East Belfast.
The Trumpet & the King tells the story of real historic figures, recently discovered through new historic research. It will be of interest to young and old who are passionate about history, the Tudors, Shakespeare, theatre and film. Meticulously researched, the play covers a period of Henry VIII's life prior to his break with Rome, changes to church and state that affect our history to this day.
Ultimately however, it is a funny and heartrending embodiment of the warm, angry and potent friendship between two young men, united through their passion for music. The production features a sound and music world created with professional artists from around the globe including potent Northern Irish musical talent, and a community company from across Northern Ireland. This gripping true story of the Renaissance will receive prototype performances in Northern Ireland in preparation for a tour across Ireland and the UK in the months ahead. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/first-ever-performances-of-the-trumpet-the-king-266599
Stage Beyond: The Millennium Forum’s resident award-winning theatre company for adults with learning disabilities, Stage Beyond, will present ‘The Great Dictator’ on Wednesday, June 15th 2022.
Europe, 1941. Pandora is at war and people are disappearing, people who are different. Dictator Heidi has a doppelganger – Brian, a decorator. When Brian’s sister Hanna goes missing, Brian discovers a terrible secret at his local hospital. In a bizarre case of mistaken identity, fate offers Brian the chance to change history. Drawing on recent historical episodes, ‘The Great Dictator’ asks is how we treat the vulnerable a measure of our humanity?
Based on Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece of the same name, Stage Beyond interrogates what happens when society treats disability like a crime and people with disabilities like criminals. Tickets : £10.00, £8.00 available from the Millennium Forum. Tel. (0044) 28 71264455 or email boxoffice@millenniumforum.co.uk
Crescent Arts Centre: has a new term of classes to book and enjoy now. Fancy learning to speak some Italian before your holiday to Italy this year? Well now’s your chance! From visual arts, language classes, acting, dance, music making and more, there’s something to tantalise all tastes. Visit www.crescentarts.co.uk
Duncairn: has released details of their new programme of theatre, music and digital classes. To book visit www.theduncairn.com
Duncairn Player: all of the previous video projects can now be viewed from the Duncairn Player including The Duncairn Virtual Cabaret, Take 2, Carlingford and the Ring of Guillion Sessions. Visit https://www.theduncairn.com/player
Greater Shantallow Community Arts: presents Spill The Tae Youth Led Podcast from the young people at Studio2/GSCA. This amazing group of creative young people have launched their very own podcast and it can be found on Spotify or Apple Podcast.
The Podcast has a strong focus on mental health as part of the EA Health & Wellbeing programme this month. The young people plan, host, interview and edit the Podcast. To date they have interviewed some of their local MLA’s, Councillors, survivors and local Derry’s own Serena Terry, creator of Mammybanter. As well as this they have a voice and a safe place where they can openly talk about mental health and what it means to them.
As well as having a voice the young people are developing their communication skills, confidence and self-awareness as well as learning skills in sound engineering and digital editing, skills they can take with them into their future career paths. You can find the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast but also by clicking this link below.
https://shows.acast.com/spill-the-tae-youth-led-podcast
Eden Place Arts Centre: has an exciting range of courses and workshops to get your creative juices flowing including wood sculpture, Inner Lanscapes, Abstract Art, Ceramics, Painting for Beginners, Contempoary Botanical Watercolours, Landscape Painting Life Painting, Spinning and Weaving plus Portrait Painting, among others. All courses are designed for adults aged 18+. Visit www.edenplaceartscentre.com
Wheelworks: unique to WheelWorks Arts is their state of the art ArtCart — a mobile arts studio that travels to your venue and opens up to provide an additional studio space for workshops and is packed full to the brim with digital equipment such as ipads, music and film making technology.
Virtual ArtCart activities take place at your own venue. Where outdoor space is limited, Wheelworks bring the ArtCart creativity inside your centre. They also come with a full outdoor suite — marquees, stage sound, lighting and outdoor heaters.
This unique space allows your young people the opportunity to experience professional equipment in a custom-made studio. It allows your centre to offer a range of socially distance spaces and utilises outdoor space. To book your perfect digital and arts activities just email www.wheelworksarts.com
Streetwise: Fancy learning how to juggle and other circus skills?! In response to Covid 19 Streetwise Community Circus has developed a team of tutors who are now working via Zoom to reach out to those who can no longer participate in workshops. To take advantage of this opportunity all you have to do is email Streetwise on streetwiseathome@gmail.com. Suitable for participants who range in age from 8 to 80 plus.
Arts Care: has a wonderful range of arts activities available online on their Arts Care 4U Premium +, their online arts delivery channel that everyone can access. Arts Care’s new dedicated online arts and well-being workshop resource, ‘Break-Time’, accessed via their website to support the mental, emotional and physical well-being of children and young people through the Arts. New art, music, dance & exercise, drama, creative writing and clown doctor’s CDTV videos will be uploaded regularly and it’s all FREE. Visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ85xLA2BlQQdrnWBhKw1hw
The MAC: presents Claire Barclay: Thrum across our Upper, Tall and Sunken Galleries fro, 15 April 2022 - 3 July 2022. Claire Barclay is a visual artist recognised for producing large-scale sculptural installations created in response to specific contexts. Her works are immersive sensory experiences that explore our interactions with materials and functionality, by combining formal elements that evoke thinking around the “psychological relationships between human beings and the objects that we live with and produce.” In this exhibition Barclay includes a series of tactile sculptural environments, where large-scale forms, made predominantly from fabrics and metals, “suggest textile narratives and explore our complex relationships with cloth.” Visit www.themaclive.com
Craft Northern Ireland: presents ‘Peter Meanley: New Works’ a solo exhibition which features unique new works by the renowned salt glaze potter Peter Meanley, which he has developed over the last three years. For more information and to register for the talks visit www.craftni.org
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: presents Behind the Eye, an exhibition by Lucy Moyes. This exhibition explores forms and the relationship between illness, nature and the human condition. In Lucy's recent work, she uses combinations of subtle marks contrasting with bold abstract forms, creating a distinctive visual language influenced by both her own experience and the external environment.
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: also presents Disturbances, An exhibition by Euan Gébler. Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich is pleased to present Euan Gébler’s first solo exhibition, ‘Disturbances’, in the Gerard Dillon Gallery. Euan was awarded this show as part of the Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich Student Graduate Award, 2021. ‘Disturbances’ is an exhibition of photography and sculpture exploring the relationship between culture and landscape. It deals with the uncertain boundary between the natural and man-made worlds.
Both exhibitions are available to view form 5 May. For further details visit www.culturlann.ie
CCA: presents two solo exhibitions by Mark Buckeridge (NI/RoI) and Ona Juciūtė (LT), participants in the second iteration of the DeMo reciprocal residency programme, a partnership between CCA, Lithuanian Culture Institute and Kaunas Artists' House. The exhibitions feature new work by the artists following their participation in the residency programme and continues until 2 July. Visit www.ccadld.org for further details and background.
Island Arts Centre: presents, Tribes and Tribulations solo exhibition by Award winning Artist Helen Merrigan Colfer continues to May 21st Island Arts Centre. An stunning exhibition of monumental scale featuring 37 Sculptures of exquisite detail and a witty & wistful Lock Down diary celebrating life,compassion and companionship during Lockdown.The exhibition really is like living in a magical wonderland.A gifted artist who has captured themes of important to us all at this time.
An exhibition suitable for all ages and stages in life and guaranteed to lift your spirits and nourish curious minds. As part of this year's NI Mental Health Festival there will be two dedicated tours and talks with Helen Merrigan Colfer & Noelle Mc Alinden May 14th at 12.30pm to 1.30pm and repeated at 2.pm to 3.30pm. Contact Island Arts Centre for details
VOID: is delighted to present BLACK MED SECCO, a solo exhibition by Invernomuto, the name of the artistic personality created in 2003 by Simone Bertuzzi and Simone Trabucchi. For their exhibition at Void, Invernomuto will create an immersive sonic, physical and visual environment referencing the Mediterranean basin.
In gallery one, through their research in the textile collection of the Museum Studio Del Tessuto (Fondazione Ratti, Como) Invernomuto have created a walled work using moiré textiles that allude to the refraction and movement of the sea. This pattern is replicated in the live stream in gallery two of Black Med. This is an online platform (accessible on blackmed.invernomuto.info) that acts as an archive of music. Black Med is compiled by Invernomuto and a vast array of invited artists and contributors. As part of the live projection stream the music is accompanied by projected slides containing theoretical texts and backstories that enliven the score. This music archive demonstrates the dynamic, multi-cultural sounds and music that emerge from this region and beyond. The intention of the project is to create an open and live system so anyone can upload new sounds into it: the goal is to have a growing archive, a Black Med magma, which constantly evolves. Visit www.derryvoid.com
UNBOXED: Thousands of participants aka Lumenators are being recruited from across Northern Ireland, by outdoor art experts Walk the Plank, to help create large-scale outdoor artworks in some of the region's Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) for Green Space Dark Skies, part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, from April to September 2022.
Gathering at designated Northern Ireland locations at dusk, Lumenators will be guided along pathways or waterways carrying smart lights that will enable digital choreography captured on film, while also being sensitive to the night-time environment. To protect these amazing places, the exact locations will only be revealed to the Lumenators who have registered to take part. There will be no spectators, but anyone can take part for free as long as they sign up in advance.
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is funded and supported by the four governments of the UK and is commissioned and delivered in partnership with Belfast City Council, Creative Wales and EventScotland. If you would like to take part in Green Space Dark Skies register at https://greenspacedarkskies.uk/get-involved/
Golden Thread Gallery: presents AN OBJECT OF VISION Alexandra Lethbridge, part of Belfast Photo Festival 2022.
Thursday 2nd June to Saturday 20th August, Project Space.
‘You’re seeing less than half the picture without the vision of women artists and women of colour.’ This was the message delivered by the Guerrilla Girls in 1984. Not much has changed since then. The line was used in a poster campaign to rebel against the International Survey of Painting and Sculpture held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The exhibition included the work of 169 artists, less than 10% of whom were women.
Today, of the 2,300 artworks held by the National Gallery, only 21 of these are by women artists. Without women artists and female perspectives, we lose half the story.
An Object of Vision charts the exclusion of women from historical narratives through a series of still lives and collages constructed to position women in the picture. This series asks what is lost when the stories and perspectives of women are eliminated from history? The work sets out to respond to this by reconstructing and creating new alternative images.
Historically, images of women have been used to contain and limit them. Women have been hidden, suppressed, veiled, covered, or shrouded. Women have largely been depicted as they were seen by others. Always seen or watched and constantly aware of the image of themselves. As John Berger describes in Ways of Seeing, women watch themselves being looked at, they are turned into a sight, a spectacle, an object of vision.
In this series by Alexandra Lethbridge, the images of women are fragmented, dislocated, but reassembled again. The process exposes the disjunctions between the individual being and the form, the sight and the expectations, the truth and the fabrication. Visit www.goldenthreadgallery.co.uk
Belfast Exposed: Presents the following exhibitions:
Gallery 1: Belfast Exposed is delighted to present a selection of three bodies of work by Vienna-based conceptual artist Thomas Albdorf, 2 June – 16 July. This exhibition forms part of the Belfast Photo Festival 2022.
Albdorf’s work sits at the intersection between photography and sculpture. The narratives behind the works are like shifting perceptions, and a decontextualisation caused by internet interference. He conceives photography as a chain of decisions that range from the objects or subject’s staging to post-processing and a potentially final print, creating a space of possibilities and probabilities, primarily enabled via digital post-production.
Albdorf combines classic photographic genres with contemporary visual techniques. His landscapes and still-lifes are boldly aesthetic, but his use of the photographic medium is highly conceptual. Using both analogue and digital technology, Albdorf constructs fictional realities from photographs of persistent visual clichés found online. Albdorf typically submits his constructions to image recognition software to see if the program could be tricked into identifying his fictions as ‘real’. For further details visit www.belfastexposed.org
ArtisAnn:
ArtisAnn Gallery, 70 Bloomfield Avenue, Belfast, BT5 5AE
Tue – Fri: 11am to 6pm ; Sat: Noon to 5pm
All artworks are available to buy. You can also buy art from this exhibition through the Arts Council supported Own Art scheme which gives you an interest-free loan over 10 months (and you still get to take the art home immediately the exhibition ends). Visit www.artisann.org
Women’s Work Festival: The Oh Yeah Music Centre is delighted to reveal a sixth series of its Women’s Work Festival, 2-5 June 2022, a festival that is open and welcoming to all while placing women in music at the heart of each event. Audiences can look forward to a classic album night celebrating the 30th anniversary of one of Ireland’s best-selling albums of all time, A Woman’s Heart. Six artists including Brigid O’Neill, Bernadette Morris, Rose Connolly, Ria Maguire, Ciara O’Neill and Edel Ní Churraoin will revisit each track made great by Maura O'Connell, Frances Black, Dolores Keane, Sharon Shannon, Eleanor McEvoy and Mary Black. Visit www.womensworkni.co.uk
Guinness Belfast City Blues Festival: returns from 24-26 June live from across Belfast featuring blues, barbeque and more. Taking place the last weekend in June, the Belfast City Blues Festival presents over 65 free gigs which will take in place in over 25 venues citywide. This year the festival will be also be erecting a main stage which will be sited at Writers’ Square in the heart of the city’s Cathedral Quarter. From here there will be a huge array of both local and international talent on show, as well as a great variety of local food been served. For tickets and listings visit www.belfastcitybluesfestival.gov.uk
Belfast Photo Festival: Northern Ireland’s premier visual arts festival is set to return next month (2–30 June) presenting a programme of compelling and immersive exhibitions in galleries and public spaces throughout the city.
A new exhibition of work by emerging photographic artists at Belfast’s Golden Thread Gallery is set to share alternative viewpoints on Northern Ireland, as seen through a different lens. A Bigger Picture, presented by Belfast Photo Festival and the Northern Irish Art Network, invites visitors to view Northern Ireland through the underrepresented gaze of feminist and queer artists from the Belfast School of Art.
Under its theme The Verge, this year’s festival explores untold stories, underrepresented narratives and perspectives on the world that too often go unseen.
Among this year’s other highlights is Alternative Ulster, presented within the grounds of Queen’s University Belfast, a new body of work by renowned Japanese artist Kensuke Koike which draws on the photographic archives of National Museums NI (NMNI) and the Public Records office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) to present an alternative vision of Northern Ireland’s past.
Featuring the works of Victor Sloan, Tabitha Soren and Alexandra Rose Howland, Against the Image at Ulster Museum examines the authority of the photograph in an era of mass media and mass (mis)information. It exposes the tension between the truth of events and how they are presented. The featured artists challenge and expose the highly subjective and mediated nature of photography, distorting and manipulating images to expose narratives that often go unseen.
From Covid and the climate crisis to global conflicts and the mass displacement and migration of people, Capturing the Now in Botanic Gardens is dedicated to the work of photographers who provide an inside look at the most pressing events of our era as we live through an historic global moment of environmental, political and social upheaval.
Renowned for its creative presentations and animation of public spaces with captivating visual art, this year’s festival will once again stimulate curiosity and discussion with a range of open air exhibitions along Botanic Gardens, Queen's University Quad, Belfast City Quays, Belfast City Hall Lawn, Queen’s Island (adjacent Titanic Belfast) and Stormont Estate.
Visit www.belfastphotofestival.com
Walled City Music Festival: return with live performances from some of the world’s finest musicians and tickets are on sale NOW!
Highlights include:
The Brodsky Quartet
Thursday 23 June, Christ Church, 7.30pm
The Brodsky Quartet is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2022 and we are thrilled to welcome them back to the Walled City Music Festival for our Opening Concert in the beautiful surroundings of Christ Church.
Acoustronic and the Ulster Orchestra
Friday 24 June, Millennium Forum, 7.30pm
Walled City Music Festival 2022 presents a unique collaboration between the Ulster Orchestra and the award-winning, Derry-based ensemble of young musicians with disabilities, Acoustronic.
Sandbox Percussion
Saturday 25 June, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, 7.30pm
Brought together by the simple joy of playing together, Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning. Through compelling collaborations with composers and performers, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney seek to engage a wider audience for classical music.
Sandbox Percussion will perform their 2021 album Seven Pillars, which was nominated for two GRAMMY awards.
For tickets and information visit www.walledcitymusic.com
Belfast Tradfest: returns from 23-29 July 2022 with a jam-packed week full of traditional music, song and dance, featuring some of the best trad musicians from across these islands. Join us this summer for a series of concerts, workshops, talks, lectures, sessions, ceilí & festival club! Visit www.belfasttraditionalmusic.com
Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich: is delighted to bring a plethora of new events and programmes for the coming months as we transition from Spring to Summer. This year’s Bealtaine programme got off to a brilliant start with a book launch ‘Bone and Marrow | Cnámh agus Smior’ by Samuel K. Fisher and Brian Ó Conchubhair. For the youth there will be Na Bopóga, Fall’s Road Youth Club and Aisling Óg and for the rest there will be a mixture of new Irish languages classes, Áine Ní Bhreisleáin will be coming with her show ‘Bladhaire’, an album launch with Kevin Meehan and much much more! However this is only a taster of what they have to offer. Be sure to have a look at the full programme of events available at www.culturlann.ie
Open House Festival at The Walled Garden: Open House Festival returns to the stunning setting of Bangor Castle Walled Garden 11-29 August, with an exciting line-up of music, comedy, theatre, classic film and spoken word events. Headline acts include Beth Orton, Martha Wainwright, Paul Brady, Paddy Raff, Eddi Reader, Villagers, Duke Special and the Hothouse Flowers, as well as festival favourites Celtic Soul, Ronnie Greer and Manukahunney. Specially commissioned events include Berts To Bangor, recreating the amazing jazz music performed at Berts Jazz Bar in the Merchant Hotel, Belfast. This year’s Classic Film screenings include Thelma and Louise and Chicago. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks. Vie the current Walled Garden programme at www.openhousefestival.com