News 2009



Victor Sloan’s works are included in the Troubles Archive at the Ulster Museum, Belfast.

Troubles Archive Launch
Ulster Museum, Belfast

8 December 2009








No Surrender, silver gelatin print, toners, gouache, 128cms x 170cms, 1988 © Victor Sloan


A new archive containing many of the key artistic works produced against the backdrop of the Troubles has officially been unveiled at theUlster Museum.

The archive, which is currently being piloted within the Troubles Gallery of the Ulster Museum, contains artists’ biographies, authoritative essays, analysis, poems, film-clips, reproductions and a timeline of key events. The new digital resource has been developed in recognition of the contribution that the arts make to our understanding of the Troubles, and the impact that the conflict has had upon the arts in Northern Ireland.

Arts Council Chief Executive Roisin McDonough commented: “For thirty years, from the end of the sixties to the end of the nineties, political violence set the scene for everything that happened inNorthern Ireland, and art was no exception. Living through the dispirited and disheartened decades, it was important that artists should keep their feelings alive and stay true to their inspiration. This archive is the evidence of their having done just that. Our goal now is to build on the material we’ve been gathering and, a little further down the line, to make this unique resource available around the world through the internet.”

“80 artists are represented, covering the art forms. We have some 136 poems, including works by Carson, Longley, Paulin, McGuckian and Heaney.” Among the playwrights are Marie Jones, Martin Lynch and Daragh Carville, along with excerpts from 20 plays and historical contextualisation of the seminal plays such as Frank McGuinness’sCartheginians and Peter Sheridan’s Diary of a Hunger Striker.”

“And there are examples of 116 paintings and sculptures, including FE MacWilliam’s Woman Caught in Crossfire, Victor Sloan’s No Surrender, Rita Duffy’s painting, Kneecapping, and Joseph MacWilliam’s Drumcree Sunset.”

“In the archive you’ll also find synopses and extracts from books by Glenn Patterson, Ronan Bennett, Benedict Kiely, Deirdre Madden, Ciaran Carson, Polly Devlin and many more similarly influential writers.”

“We’ve also included 20 clips of films and television shows from the time. Watching these clips gives you an almost Proustian experience, bringing you right back to the times – the Billy

Plays with a youthful Kenneth Branagh and James Ellis on magnificent form; Contact, shot largely in green as if through night vision; and the very powerful BBC production, A Safe House.”

A collection of 13 essays has also been published as part of the project. Patricia Craig, Ciaran Carson, Stuart Bailey and Declan Long were among those asked by the Arts Council to contribute to the archive, writing on the Troubles and its impact on subjects such as literature, music and visual art.

Stuart Bailie, Chief Executive of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, whose essay is entitled Pop Music and the Conflict in N. Ireland, commented on the music that was produced during the Troubles: "Popular music and the Troubles made for a volatile mixture. It found its most intense expression during the punk era - including Stiff Little Fingers, Ruefrex and later arrivals like The Defects. But it also left a legacy on The Miami Showband and Clubsound, on troubadours like Andy White while its passing was marked by Neil Hannon's emotional Sunrise. It's quite a story."

Dr Jim McGreevy, Director of Collections and Interpretation for National Museums Northern Ireland, said, “Not surprisingly, our visitors are deeply interested in our Irish history galleries. The level of visitor engagement has been intense and the inclusion of The Troubles Archive within The Troubles gallery offers an opportunity to explore and gauge creative responses to our contemporary history. Our visitors tell us the gallery provokes deep reflection: some 85% rate its content and sensitivity as “very good” or “fairly good” and we have had constructive feedback on future development.”


Ulster Museum
Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB
T: +44 (0) 28 9044 0000







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Victor Sloan’s works are exhibited in the RHA Exhibition in Dublin.


Royal Hibernian Academy Exhibition
Gallagher Gallery, Dublin.
26 May – 25 July, 2009


From Luxus Series, Lambdachrome Prints, 120 x 180cm © Victor Sloan

Following last year's record-breaking attendance figures, we are extending the run for an extra four weeks this year.

A prize-fund is awarded to a variety of disciplines from painting, sculpture and drawing to photography and attracts a wide variety of both international and Irish artists. Admission is free and the exhibition is supported by a full colour catalogue costing available at reception.

For more information please contact Rebecca Gale, RHA Marketing at 01 6612558 ext 111
or email info@rhagallery.ie

Royal Hibernian Academy
15 Ely Place, Dublin 2
Tel: 353 1 661 2558
Fax: 353 1 661 0762

Email: info@rhagallery.ie
Web: www.royalhibernianacademy.org











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Victor Sloan's work is included in the Troubles Archive exhibition, Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast.



Arts Council of Northern Ireland Troubles Archive Exhibition
Ormeau Baths Gallery, Belfast

19th June - 25th July 2009





The ACNI Troubles Archive Exhibition is presented to accompany the launch of the Northern Ireland Troubles Archive, a new web-based resource that documents how the Arts responded to and reflected the troubles from 1968 to 1998.

The exhibition at Ormeau Baths Gallery offers the public an opportunity to see how arts practices are now being documented and providing an insight of how the news was mediated by BBC NI during the period.

A selection of art works engaging with social and political issues selected from The Arts Council’s collection will include a range of works from less well known works by George Campbell and Padraig Timoney to the more familiar images of Rita Duffy and Victor Sloan and together with work by some invited artists such as Paul Seawright and Philip Napier will provide an historical context to the Archive.

The exhibition will also include Una Walker’s Surveiller, an installation work which gives graphic expression and archival access to the range and frequency of visual art exhibitions held in Belfast from 1968-2001, essentially the period of the Troubles.

The Northern Ireland Troubles Archive is a new web-based resource about the way the Arts responded to and reflected the Troubles in Northern Ireland from 1968 to 1998. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has created a broad and inclusive store of information about relevant art forms, practitioners and their work across a variety of disciplines; including visual art, literature, drama, film, radio and television, music, prison and community arts and architecture.

The Troubles Archive aims to reflect the diversity of this significant period in Northern Irish history and how it was manifested culturally. Exhibition Tours will be commencing on Saturday 20th June, 4th July and 18th July at 2pm, free admission, no booking required.

For a truly enriching experience of what the Archives are all about, the gallery will also be holding workshops and tours to provide the opportunity of exploring the many artistic interpretations, which artists have used to express the troubles over the last thirty years. Contact Ciara on chickey@ormeaubaths.co.uk for enquiries and booking.

The workshops are:-

Theatre Workshop
Tuesday 30th June - Saturday 4th July 10am - 5pm, GBP 10 for the week suitable for 17-19 year olds, Limited Availability.

During the week participants will be working with local practitioners on four profound plays, Patrick Galvin's We Do It For Love, Ron Hutchinson's Rat in the Skull, Frank McGuinness' Carthaginians and Gary Mitchell's As The Beast Sleeps. These plays reflect the times of the Troubles in the 70's and 90's and their effect on the community around it.
On Saturday 4th July at 7pm there will be a free performance of the final pieces from the chosen extracts of the plays the participants will be working on.

Painting Morning
Thursday 2nd July 11am - 1pm, GBP 5, canvases and paints will be provided.
This is a beginners class, or for those who wish to improve on their technique as well as a discussion of the many paintings within the exhibition and exploring the artists' painting techniques.

Words and Music Evening Tour
Tuesday 23rd June 8pm, GBP 5. Limited Availability 25 places
A unique tour around the gallery guided by a series of performances from Poets Michael Longley, Traditional singer Len Graham, Art Historian Amanda Croft, Poet Leontia Flynn and music from the Winding Stair.

OBG Screenings
Shellshock Rock
Friday 19th June

8pm/ Free

Originally banned in Ireland, this acclaimed documentary focuses on the Punk movement which expanded in Belfast during the 1970’s. (Dir. John T Davis)
Belfast on Screen * A rare opportnity to see films made about Belfast during the Troubles from the BBC and Bryson House archive.

Wednesday 8th July : The Belfast Experience - A day in the life of Belfast as seen by a German artist visiting the city in 1987 (Dir Manfred Hattendorf)

Wednesday 15th July : In the Name of God: New Belfast - An artistic interpretation of the religious aspects of the Troubles through one filmmaker’s eye. Wednesday 22nd July: Tuesday Documentary: Last Night Another Soldier - A film documenting the aspirations and experiences of British soldiers as they undertake a tour of duty on the streets of Belfast in 1973.

* These screenings are all Free and take place at 4pm

QFT Screenings: A Cinema of Conflict*
To tie in with the launch of the Troubles Archive exhibition, QFT will be showing a week long season of films.

Please visit www.queensfilmtheatre.com for more information

The Films:
26/6/09 Bloody Sunday plus intro
27/6/09 Talk: Film, Television and the Troubles - 5pm 2
7/6/09 MickyBo and Me
28/6/09 Angel
29/6/09 In the Name of the Father
30/6/09 H3
01/7/09 Omagh
02/7/09 5 Minutes of Heaven
*These films all start at 6.30pm
For more information visit www.ormeaubaths.co.uk
Ormeau Baths Gallery
18a Ormeau Avenue
Belfast
BT2 8HS
Tel: +44 (0)28 9032 1402
Fax: +44 (0)28 9031 2232
Location
OBG is located close to Belfast city centre, on Ormeau Avenue, just off the Dublin Road and Bedford Street, 100 yards from the BBC. We are 10 minutes walk to Victoria Station, Europa Bus Depot and Central Station. Ample meter and public parking is available in the area.




Victor Sloan can be contacted at: mail@victorsloan.com