It is clear from the body of work produced by arts practitioners in Northern Ireland and elsewhere that many of them were deeply affected by the Troubles. In some cases this is evidenced by overt reference and in other cases their response was less obvious. The Troubles Archive hopes to reflect the diversity of the manner and means by which this significant period in Northern Irish history manifested itself culturally.
The visual arts have produced a generation of artists who have responded to the Troubles in many and various ways. Numerous independent galleries and specially curated exhibitions have presented Northern Irish political art to a growing audience. Northern Ireland as a post-conflict society has continued to be of growing interest, and these earlier pieces tell a compelling story of the times in which the work was created. Public art such as the world famous murals and also memorials are also an important part of the legacy of visual art.
Within the craft tradition, the body of folk and naïf art produced by political prisoners brings an important perspective to the study. Working in wood, leather and a range of other traditional materials, these objects tell much about the expression of cultural identity and political affiliations. The long indigenous tradition of marching banners associated with the Orange Order and Ancient Order of Hibernians, some of which are located in Northern Ireland’s smaller museums is of equal importance.
Northern Ireland is renowned throughout the world for its contribution to the literary arts in English. Poets from the north have always brought a unique voice and perspective on the political situation here. The work of our independent publishing houses and the contribution of journals and magazines has also been significant.
Within the field of drama many of our companies have gained international recognition for important work which reflects upon the socio/political climate in Northern Ireland. Theatre has always been a force for establishing cultural identity, most especially in times of conflict.
A wealth of film, television and radio with the Troubles as a theme has emerged since 1968. Film has become one of the biggest creative industries in Northern Ireland since the advent of Lottery funding in 1995, and the establishment of the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission. Immediate and accessible, the media arts have fixed the eye of the world on this small place perhaps more than any other art forms, creating impressions which can be contrary to lived experience or vividly true to life.
In the field of music there is a perception that traditional and folk music belongs to one side of the community, when in fact it has been a shared resource and source of communal pleasure for many for hundreds of years. This is true of the song and ballad tradition here, as well as in the more contemporary forms such as rock, punk and blues. In the classical/contemporary music arena there is not the same volume of material, although a number of composers have alluded to the Troubles in subtle and tangential ways.
An interesting dimension of the project is the architecture of the Troubles. Much of our urban fabric, badly damaged, had to be re-designed in response to the ongoing conflict. Housing Executive developments, town planning, peace walls and security installations are all part of the surrounding environment within which the community, including its arts practitioners, had to function.
