Friday, 29 March 2024

Event Details

A selection of textiles exhibited online at Ulster Museum, Northern Ireland, as part of the

A selection of textiles exhibited online at Ulster Museum, Northern Ireland, as part of the "Following the Footsteps of the Disappeared" exhibition. (Photo: Gillian Robinson)

 

Online exhibition and associated activities:Following the footsteps of the disappeared
Description: This two-day programme incorporating seminars and a textile display marked International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances 30 August.

Collaborating partners were: John Hume & Thomas P. O'Neill Chair in Peace based at the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster University, represented by Professor Brandon Hamber;
National Museums Northern Ireland, Belfast, represented by Dr. Karen Logan, Senior Curator of History; and
Conflict Textiles, represented by Roberta Bacic, collector and curator of the collection.

The programme incorporated:
1. An online exhibition of 20 textiles from the Conflict Textiles collection, focusing on the topic of the disappeared, with a special emphasis on the search. This virtual exhibition is hosted by the Ulster Museum, Belfast, (30th August 2020 – 30th August 2021). Exhibition link
2. Two online Seminars hosted at Magee Campus, 14.00-17.30 UK time, Monday 31st. The presentations focused on reflection, practice and discussion on the topics of:
a. Transnational Experiences of Enforced Disappearances (14:00 - 15:30)
b. The Search for the Disappeared: textile and art expressions (16:00 - 17:30)

The exhibition and seminar programme was launched online on Sunday 30th August, (Inputs available in documents section below).
A 7 minute film Following the footsteps of the disappeared focused on the textile exhibition, was premiered after the launch.
Moderator: Professor Brandon Hamber, the John Hume and Thomas P. O'Neill Chair in Peace, Ulster University.
(The film has since been screened at the 3er Encuentro Internacional de Arte Textil y Resistencia Memorarte, 5th Sept. – 17th Oct., and at the Virtual Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival, Sept. 28th - Oct 4th., 2020).

This song Hasta la Raíz was recorded for the International Day of the Disappeared 2020. It is a tribute to the thousands of people 'disappeared' across Latin America.

This 2020 event was a follow up to Tras las huellas de los/as desaparecidos/as / Following the footsteps of the disappeared. This exhibition took place in Osorno, Chile, 29th - 31st August 2019 and was a collaboration between Conflict Textiles, the Association of Detained Disappeared and executed of Osorno, with the support of Chile’s Museum of Memory and Human Rights.

This two-day day programme in Northern Ireland has laid the groundwork for the ‘Following the footsteps of the disappeared’ display to be hosted by the Ulster Museum in 2021 (in the reception area), marking the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances in that year. This will mark the 10th anniversary of the inaugural observance of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances in 2011.
Commissioned by: Conflict Textiles (exhibition element)
Date(s): 30th August 2020 - 30th August 2021
Venue: Ulster Museum Belfast; Magee Campus Derry, Ulster University and online
Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB, Northern Ireland; Ulster University, Northland Road Derry~Londonderry, BT48 7JL
Curator: Roberta Bacic and Breege Doherty
Facilitator: John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair of Peace, Ulster University and Ulster Museum,
Outcome: All three events attracted a large local and international attendance. 114 people tuned into the launch; 91 people participated in the first Seminar on “Transnational Experiences of Enforced Disappearances” and 100 people took part in the second seminar, “The Search for the Disappeared: Textile and art expressions”. The indepth presentations provoked much discussion and reflection and facilitated a deeper understanding of the layers of issues relating to the topic of ‘the disappeared'.

Overall, the events strengthened existing partnerships and laid groundwork for potential new developments. An example of this is the Podcast - Episode 71 - "Conflict Textiles: Following the Footsteps of the Disappeared" broadcast on 12th November by LawPod, a weekly podcast, based in the Law School at Queen's University Belfast, facilitated by Dr. Lauren Dempster.




Documents: • Textile list: July 2020 - view
• Concept note: "Following the footsteps" - view
• Launch invitation/registration, 30th August - view
• Seminar 1 invitation/registration, 31st Aug - view
• Seminar 2 invitation/registration, 31st Aug - view
• Input at launch, Rainer Huhle (english) - view
• Input at launch, Gonzalo Quispe (español) - view
• Greeting at launch, Roberta Bacic (English) - view
• Presentation: Seminar 1, Shari Eppel - view
• Presentation: Seminar 1, Ram Kumar Bhandari - view
• Presentation: Seminar 2, Alit Ambara - view
• Presentation: Seminar 2, Jaime Nuguer - view
• Presentation: Seminar 2, Nicole Drouilly - view
 




Textiles Displayed:For Paul, Disappeared 8 February 2012
La Valija de la Memoria de Hernan / Hernan's Memory box
La Cueca Sola / Dancing Cueca alone
Recuperación de cuerpos en 1990 / Recovering the disappeared in 1990
Minhas memórias da ditadura / My memories of the dictatorship
Irene, Marta, Hilda, Patricia: Now and Always Present
They Fell like Stars from the Sky / Cayeron del cielo como estrellas
Recuerdos de Guadalupe / Guadalupe's Longings
¿Dónde están los desaparecidos? / Where are the "disappeared"?
Panfleteando en el 1979 en Santiago / Leafleting in Santiago in 1979
Hilvanando la busqueda / Stitching the search
Disappeared
The Earth Always Remembers / La TIERRA siempre recuerda
Encadenamiento / Women Chained to Parliament Gates
Hornos de Lonquén / Lime kilns of Lonquén
Ausencias - Presencias 2 / Absences – Presences 2
Presencia de Edime Peirano / Edime Peirano's Presence
Paz - Justicia - Libertad / Peace - Justice - Freedom
Nos hacen falta / We miss them
Sala de torturas / Torture chamber