"Through our eyes" Exhibition launch
An exhibition of work including audio, paintings, pottery and photography by ten men and women from across the community who suffered severe Troubles-related trauma. It will run until Saturday 30th March 2019.
In addition a TV documentary on the project will be broadcast by NVTV on Sunday 30th March 2019.
The exhibition is the culmination of a six month long project organised jointly by the WAVE Trauma Centre and Northern Visions.
Grainne McKenna a Trauma Education officer with WAVE who co-ordinated the project explained the thinking behind it.
“Our experience of working with men and women of all ages who have had a severe traumatic experience during the Troubles repeatedly shows the importance of people being able to tell their own story in their own way to help them come through it. They has absolutely no control over what happened to them but it is essential that they are able take control of dealing with it on their own terms. The men and women who took part and those who worked with them found it a genuinely creative and empowering exercise”.
Ms McKenna went on to say that the participants worked with an art therapist and two artists to develop their stories.“Some expressed themselves through painting, others through photography while others literally told their story in an audio recording. Taken together we hope that it will resonate with a wider audience”.
Ms McKenna thanked the Victims’ and Survivors’ Service, Belfast City Council and the Arts Council for their support without which it would not have been possible to run the project.