Presenting Voices
When Silence Falls: Investigating Literary and Bodily Memory at the Waterford Laundry
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jennifer O'Mahoney, Kate Mc Carthy
This paper will explore an interdisciplinary project entitled When Silence Falls: Investigating Literary and Bodily Memory at the Waterford Laundry (Waterford Memories Project and Irish Research Council, October 2016). When Silence Falls was a public event, consisting of talks, live art performances, screenings, installations, and oral histories, which commemorated (and took place in) the former site of St Mary’s Good Shepherd Laundry and St. Dominic’s Industrial School in Waterford city. The paper will consider how the oral history narratives from the survivors of these spaces was used to inform live art performance work created for the When Silence Falls event. Discussion will focus on how both the original telling of the narratives by the survivors, as well as the performances based on these narratives, resulted in dual acts of resistance in the When Silence Falls event. This paper will explore how the survivors’ own words have informed practice-based research and performance, and how these processes formed acts of resistance act activism, reclaiming the contested and traumatic space of the Waterford Magdalene Laundry and amplifying survivor voices in a cumulative public feminism event.
Zines, Gender Identity, and the Classroom: Revolutionizing Art Education through Alternative Narratives and Resources
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Juliana Pepper
Through alternative educational resources, radical change surrounding gender identity and gender norms can happen. In this talk, I will focus on ways in which art education can deconstruct and resist notions of European idealized body standards and normalized gender roles (considering white standards of beauty and hetero-normative narratives) while still incorporating Western canonized artists. By introducing different materials, such as zines, art education can be revolutionized by exposing students to empowering information and artistic possibilities beyond traditional art forms and art history. Zines provide agency for, and histories of, marginalized communities as well as radical historical figures and movements through the use of drawing, collage, comic strips, graphic design, and more. By introducing zines as platforms for both art and information, I hope to offer a creative alternative or assistant to art textbooks. (I will provide several copies of zines on the subject of gender that I have used as inspiration in my own artistic practice as well as in the classroom).
Participatory Arts and Social Relationships for Older People in Care Settings
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Carol Munn-Giddings, Anna Dadswell, Ceri Wilson, Hilary Bungay
Loneliness and social isolation are known to have a negative impact on well-being and quality of life. Despite the proximity of others, older people living in care settings often experience loneliness and social isolation. The impact of arts and culture on well-being is widely acknowledged, however the specific impact on social relationships as a mechanism for building community has received little attention. This presentation uses selected findings from a study funded by Arts Council, England (2016-18) an innovative partnership between art practitioners, academics, an older people’s research group and a regional authority which explored the role of participatory arts in developing and maintaining social relationships between older people, older people and care staff and the wider community; in order to address issues of loneliness and social isolation. The research was mixed methods involving: case studies in three care homes where participatory arts were delivered by three arts organisations (reminiscence arts, seated dance, and orchestral music participation) plus a survey of all care homes in the region. Findings will focus on the ways in which participatory arts built on the strengths of older people to enable the enhancement and development of relationships as well artist’s perceptions of the unique qualities of the arts in this process.
