13 days to 50 years of performance art in Ireland Symposium

Belfast 1975 was a very different place and those of us that remember it recognise that to go out on the streets and with a group art students working together on performance art was a radical act. But this is what Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennahan of Belfast School of art did. Thanks to Brian Patterson MPhil research Bbeyond this November is celebrating  the performance art community over the last 50 years.

Bbeyond has gathered some of our new commissioned performance artists, academics and practitioners working withing the performance art eco system. As Alastair MacLennahan said recently

 ' there as many different types of performance art as there are people on earth' so do not expect a magic bullet or an instant understanding.

The symposium includes walks talks, conversations, memory sharing,  performances and a special  'Unity Walk' anniversary performance supported by Belfast City Council. Community Workshops have been taking place in the city to encourage people not familiar with the art from to work alongside performance artists at different stages of their journeys, these will feed into the symposium and anniversary performance.

Clare McComish, Visual Arts Officer at the Arts Council commented:

 “This symposium draws together artists, curators and a variety of educational contributors from across the island and beyond to mark a milestone 50 years of performance art in Ireland. Over the last five decades, performance artists have presented us with original, compelling and thought-proving work, inviting audiences to experience live art and play a role in its creation. This event will celebrate the contributions they’ve made to artistic life here, as well as showcasing work from a new generation of performance artists.”

In an extract from Brian Patterson’s unpublicised MPhil  he states:

‘Alastair MacLennan’s first public interactions was a workshop involving students from the University of Ulster and Queen’s University, Belfast, as part of the Belfast Fringe Festival in November 1975. The workshop involved MacLennan, along with students, working together in a group action that involved dressing in white lab coats with ‘ART’ written on the back, wearing white Styrofoam masks, and carrying black plastic bags. Dr Slavka Sverakova described this first piece of work as Art March, highlighting two distinct functions: first, a reference to the political marches in NI,  secondly, ‘making art visible to the public outside the art systems’.[1] Sverakova also notes that in a catalogue published by MacLennan in 1980, it is termed as ‘Parade.’[2] ‘

 With Unity walk co-ordinated by Brian  Patterson we aim to commerate these last 50 years and develop new narratives and connections that recognise while the city has changed much in 50 years there is further to go. Choosing Alexandra Park the only park in the city with a Peaceline in it emphasises this fact.

Bronagh lawson Chair of Bbeyond said ‘ when organising the symposium someone asked me who are the international artists presenting , I replied ‘we are’ , the question  shows an inability locally for people to appreciate the talent that is in the city and thinking that someone’s art is only of worth something if they are not from here, in reality our city is brimming with exceptional talent of every art form, and every artist contributes to the vibrant creative pulse that races through the city’ the performance artist's maybe better know in China than Belfast but their presence contributes much to the vibrancy of the city with a dedication and creativity that surpasses many. 

 If you would like to be part of the Unity Walk register on www.bbeyond.live or witness the spectacle on the Saturday in the park. So far we have registrations for the symposium from China, Singapore, Germany, Ukraine, London as well as Ireland North and South. This is a testament to the commitment of performance artists and our audience. Unity walk is also part of FIX Biennale the festival run by Catalyst arts every two years which runs from 15-22 November.

Bbeyond is funded through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Lottery Project Funding, Belfast City Council and it’s membership.

About Bbeyond 

Bbeyond is a charity arts organisation, based in Northern Ireland that focuses on Performance Art. Our membership includes multidisciplined artists from many locations. We are involved in local, national and international projects Bbeyond is committed to promoting the practice of performance art and artists in Northern Ireland and further afield. Our aim is to raise people’s consciousness of live/performance art as being integral to the world in and around us, inspiring reflection and enriching lived experience.

We host artists of international reputation throughout the performance art world and encourage newer artists to experience performance art practices for themselves.Bbeyond encourages greater access to and appreciation of this visually based art form, through facilitating modes of active private/public participation, allowing people from all sectors of society, not just the traditional arts, to experience and enjoy performance art directly. We currently have 50 members from Ireland mostly from North and South America and have a branch in Derry and Berlin. For information on all the participating artistswww.bbeyond.live