Arts Round-up WIRED AND WONDERFUL The NI Science Festival is set to return this month after revealing its seventh annual programme boasting more than 80 online public events. The STEM celebration will return for a fortnight of wonder and intrigue from Monday 15 – Sunday 28 February. Covering everything from the natural world, our planet, and the vast expanse of space to engineering, robotics, physics, the mind and body, food and much more, the festival will present some of the most prominent scientific minds, thoughtleading academics, and captivating authors. Adopting a digital format this year, the programme is packed with interactive workshops, engaging talks and discussions, screenings and more for audiences of all ages. The festival will also host a dedicated programme of online events for schools and educators the week before the festival opens (8 – 12 February). Among this year’s highlights is a partnership with National Geographic that will see the festival host a series of online talks with prominent science communicators, including well-known BBC science presenter Greg Foot, marine biologist Lucy Hawkes, award-winning natural history photographer Jeff Kerby, TV presenter and wildlife filmmaker Malaika Vaz, and ocean-focused bioengineer Kakani Katija. World-renowned physicist Katie Mack will be in conversation with festival favourite Jim Al-Khalili discussing her book The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), an exploration into the future of the cosmos and how it might reach its ultimate demise. The festival will also host a series of events focusing on the natural world, including a conversation with Northern Ireland’s own Dara McAnulty, whose debut book, Diary of a Young Naturalist, won the Wainwright prize for nature writing in 2020. For the full programme, visit nisciencefestival.com. Dara McAnulty
LIGHT DURING THE DARKNESS The Linen Hall Library in partnership with Conflict Textiles marked Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January with an online event featuring a transnational panel of contributors relaying personal stories about Holocaust-related family memorabilia. An online exhibition, Light During the Darkness: Remembering the Holocaust, also ran until 1 February. Each day an item, be it a photograph, piece of memorabilia or other, with its own unique story relating to
the Holocaust, was posted on the Linen Hall’s social media channels. The event on Holocaust Memorial Day, took place via ZOOM and featured a panel of contributors including award-winning author and poet Marjorie Agosín, originally from Chile. Each person relayed a story about a family item relating to the Holocaust. For more information go to www. linenhall.com.
Any time and everywhere - Anna Frank’s universality. German arpillera, Heidi Drahota, 2011 Heidi Drahota collection Photo Heidi Drahota, © Conflict Textiles https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles/ Photos of children from Terezin concentration camp (Set of five) Conflict Textiles collection, donation from War Resisters’ International (WRI) WRI Photo Archive, © Conflict Textiles https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles/
ARTS AND OLDER PEOPLE’S PROGRAMME
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has announced £110,000 to enable 12 arts organisations in Northern Ireland to deliver a series of community-based arts projects benefitting older people. The funding is part of the Arts and Older People’s Programme, a pioneering initiative supported by National Lottery, Public Health Agency and Baring Foundation, which aims to tackle loneliness as-well as promote positive mental health and well-being among older people through engagement with the arts. Among the successful applicants offered Arts and Older People Programme funding are: Arts Care, who will design a series of Tool Kit Boxes that will provide online training to over 150 activity workers, nurses and carers across all five Health and Social Care Trust areas potentially engaging more than 2000 older people in the arts. The Tool Kit Boxes will contain up to fifteen facilitated arts activities designed by professional Arts Care Artists across four key art forms including music, creative dance, visual arts and creative writing. Armstrong Storytelling Trust, who will bring the traditional art of storytelling, music and reminiscence sessions to older people, aged 70+, across Northern Ireland who are experiencing dementia and isolation. It is anticipated that Armstrong Storytelling will deliver 40 sessions to individuals in their own 60
homes digitally through Zoom, between January and May 2021. Prime Cut Productions, who will deliver a twelve-week visual arts, music, dance and reminiscence project to older people across Belfast, aiming to reach between 50-60 participants. The project will use photography, dance sessions and music to explore the ballrooms and dancehalls of Belfast’s past. The project will use the personal memories of participants as well as resources from Northern Ireland Screens Digital Archive and Belfast Exposed. To view the full list of organisations offered Arts & Older People’s Programme funding visit www.artscouncil-ni.org Arts Care Tool Kit Boxes
