Virtually (Re) Writing History: Creative Responses to Closed Museums

About the Booklet Design The cover of this booklet was designed with Lockdown 1.0 in mind.

The abstract, spaced out blobs bring to mind the idea of social distancing and people not being able to get together during the first lockdown (when the pieces of writing in booklet were created).

The lines that overlap each of the shapes represent the idea that the writing generated through the RRR writing programme has allowed us to connect with each-other, even though we can’t physically be together.

You will also notice that throughout this booklet, the colours correspond with the colours used on the Ulster Museum map to represent physical spaces in the museum itself. Although we still can’t be at the museum in person, we are looking forward to a time when we can return again. Until then, learning more about local heritage with other creative young people has been such a uniquely positive and unifying experience during this unusual and isolating time.

-Hannah Sharp, RRR Core Participant

Contents A Note from Niamh

1

History Liù Sì Exhibition Review

3

Art Condensation Toward Yellow

6

It’s the Cat’s Meow!

8

Smoking Dress

9

Studio Access

10

Reader

11

Puffin Over the Water

12

Will You Share an Apple With Me?

13

COVID-19 Resting Place

16

Easter Eggs in June

17

Going to the Garden: A Piece in Favour of Botanical Exhibitionism

19

Why Should You Be Visiting Museums?

21

Nature Ode to an Opal

24

Oyster Shell Purse

25

Contributors

26

Museum Map

27

A Note From Niamh This publication is the result of the first ever Creative Writing programme run by Reimagine, Remake, Replay (RRR) – a 4 year project that connects 16-25 year olds in Northern Ireland with heritage in meaningful ways. RRR uses creative approaches and the latest digital technologies to explore and interpret museum collections and spaces.

In March 2020, as we went into lockdown, RRR moved from delivering programmes on site in museums to providing them online to participants in their homes. Creative Writing at the Museum was the first full programme we ran as part of our online delivery – newly developed for this time as the programmes we had planned for in person delivery were cancelled and not suited for adaptation.

The success of this programme is in the writing that follows this foreword.

As the project lead, I was completely blown away by the writing created during this programme. There was a phenomenal range of work that pushed boundaries and challenged writing in the museum both creatively and critically.

this publication delves into the ideas that interest them and the issues they care about, using writing and museums as vehicles for that – from fast fashion to feminism in the arts, from The White Cube of the gallery to the experience of reading, to name a few.

Despite being written when we were not able to physically go to museums, these writings not only transport us into the collections, they give us a proximity to them and new angles with which to delight in, discover or dissect them.

Most of all – these pieces, these writers prove the insights and interpretations that are given life by creative engagement. They show what young people, what young writers bring to the museum and what they bring out of it.

They exemplify what young people, what young writers can bring to the museum and what their words can wield within it. Read on to find out for yourself.

At the start of the programme, the group discussed the language that usually comprises writing in museums.

Using this as a springboard, participants have changed what writing in museums can mean by experimenting with different forms, exploring through language, testing registers and giving us voice through their writing.

Each piece explores a particular museum object or muses on what a museum itself is. Each contributor to

Niamh Kelly Programme Facilitator/ Youth Ambassador

1

History

2

History

Liù Sì Exhibition Review Ryan Harling “This is my museum.” She says, softly.

Slowly undoing the blindfolds from behind me.

Next is a piece of metal, a scrap from one of the tanks that the CCP had sent in.

I remember reading that PLA soldiers have outgrown their weapons and tanks built to fit the average male thirty years ago, due to improved nutritional standards that came with economic growth.

As my eyes adjust to the dimly lit space, I take in the smell. Musty and stifled, it owes a feeling of being underground.

It may well be.

Now, I read that “We want freedom of newspapers, freedoms of association, also to support the ‘World Economic Herald’, and support those just journalists” in Chinese from a placard, almost falling apart.

Alongside this, my shirt clings to me tightly with humidity and sweat, amplifying the sense of claustrophobia.

The Louvre this is not, but this ‘museum’ is still unparalleled in the deep historical significance of its artefacts. The personal connection which this unassuming, elderly lady standing in front of me has with the collection, lends a sanctity to the experience, which I am not likely to ever forget.

Noted below, is that 15 out of 100 students from the nation's top four universities know what the 'Tank Man' picture references.

Perhaps the incident’s only legacy is educational reform focused on spurring patriotism.

The owner, curator, and guide, who identifies herself only as Liù Sì (Six Four in English), steps towards her first piece on display.

A Concert for Democracy in China 1989 promotional poster, equally tattered as the placard, is framed on the concrete wall. On the line-up, Beyond, a Hong Kong band, is listed.

I’ve seen videos of people singing one of their songs in their hometown recently.

It is of a white bandana, splattered with blood, once worn by a hunger striker.

The silence is tangible.

“Forgive me this life of uninhibited love and indulgence of freedom.”

Looking around me now, the lowceilinged room, perhaps 700 square feet all in all, is filled with its expectation not to even whisper, but simply observe, and reflect.

A few pictures line the wall, with candles burning beneath to better illuminate the series of black and white photographs that show a child’s transformation into a young man.

She stands staring at the piece, and I wonder where she has been transported. What thoughts must be going through her head every time she leads someone through her exhibition.

Liù Sì lingers longer in front of this exhibit before turning to the next.

3

History Bullet cases from the incident are placed in a glass box on a pedestal next to a 3-foot replica of the Goddess of Democracy.

Notes This is a review of an imaginary museum in Beijing dedicated to the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June the 4th, 1989. Due to government policy, the genocide is censored in China and is not covered in any school curricula. The mothers of those killed, such as the fictional Liù Sì, are not allowed to publicly mourn their murdered family members. Thus, the museum is more of a personal collection to remember her son, hidden away to avoid persecution from the authorities.

The original, standing at ten meters tall, was torn down by the troops on that day. I spend another 15 minutes reading the descriptions, and it feels like a dream.

It’s as if I had just fell through the rabbit hole but instead of Wonderland ended up in a hellish reminder of the tragic consequences that government censorship can have on its people.

When I indicate that I am done looking at the exhibition, the blindfold goes back on and I feel myself being led out of the museum and back into the car.

CCP: Chinese Communist Party PLA: People's Liberation Army

After half an hour of bumpy roads and stop-starts with increasingly heavy traffic, the blindfolds are taken back off and I exit the car on the outskirts of Beijing.

References

Though often loud, the sea of urban noise, busses catapulting by, people chatting on their phones and hawkers shouting their wares, now rocks me, and I stand still to take it in momentarily, before being pushed along into the flow of the crowd.

Ruth Marcus (2014) A new generation in China knows little about Tiananmen Square.

The Washington Post

John Pomfret (2019) A Massacre Erased.

The Washington Post

James Kynge (2019) The road not taken: China after Tiananmen. The Financial Times Hannah Beech (2014) Military Expansion: China's Soldiers Outgrow Their Tanks and Guns. TIME Stephen McDonnel (2020) Questions over ban on Tiananmen Square anniversary event. BBC

4

Art

5

de on io at ns n ds ar w to l Ye w lo

) 65 (19 m (n .c ni om )

Co To n w de ar n ds sa Ye tio llo n w

C

ha rc So

h ig lla ea Ch Ní

T ab he h o th ey app ut t era c e in he pi th olo s. It es co st s a ro ur ’s s”. lo ay sn lwa ugh ye dar Yo ur s, a o ys . llo k. u of “th in su re a w. T do Tha w p Th clo k an nfl lw he es t w us en se a y . d d ow y w L a he th o da eno ho er s y ay ike y y s e ur ng te w m s a ell sm pi ello m er ha o re ow ile ss w Bu Th on , i s c t ar pp t alw an y f n so e og e in th a d ac th m ond do m Hu rap d al e in ys h e e r m ea en yo e o w s Li a ew ng h ay s, gs t ye w s br m h ry un ha orn ns sa u k w e s an ha llo e an d in ? I tio no w ll ary sca re Ca de ye d/ t w i . ac sw a d g a wo n w f Bu th un D pe alo te r a llo or r r co ro er re nd ke tow wh w t ra t li wid de eam of ng pill lon . m ss af am th up ar at d n ke e d D a ar el pr a te t o o d y An idn spi an ra pu s a err eh hu r s ha ug n s y r ’ n b r y e t “ y d e e t e h g t g l en e u I t m llo m ay I c ma s in rev ing ic s ful Ce si ly mb fo I d w a k a ve ju k be ll e a ela re er l o ntr lin und id. st e m s d t s v f al m M g do sen the y m ens rea ion ou ice th I ax a w y r s e Bi re e d be es se tit um e i m, th ce ll n a n ? l i a e o ne ll n it ’t M j a r t t s. ed y m ’t do m ay us nd eal I’m s ea kno es att be t d I ity to n w n’ er t o sa . ex a re s. w t m ? O he esn y, c h w ib u al Ma ha a r ti ’t id i te ly y t tt tle el tio ly m be th er y av n c aw ak n e th ai at ar e ot tit at la al e se h le bl og th ns ing e. u a e. t I k es ” no a w re , f no or t

Art

6

Art example, that I can’t currently afford the sole Max Bill monograph in existence, the $35 one (I know) for the Fundación Juan March Max Bill 2016 exhibition.

Why am I providing you with information?

What have you learnt? What have I provided? All those letters and numbers. BELUM.U517 is the accession code; a gateway to metadata regarding the purchase and ownership of the piece. Oil on canvas is the medium of the piece, its material makeup. But if you didn’t spend time in museums and didn’t just know… how could you tell?

I don’t always think facts matter. I like some facts though, the kind that help you dig deeper into the art and its context and why it all might mean something to someone in some country in some place at some time (or hereafter).

When I first saw Condensation Towards Yellow, it looked like a sculpture and I could imagine how it would feel between my hands. The fact that it is oil on a canvas still amazes me. It reminds me of being a child and how if I squinted my eyes and drew lines across the car window following the condensation running across the glass into the setting sun, it could turn out a little something like this. “A concept explained by its execution”, the page says but I close my eyes to get my vision. Perspective and space used and manipulated. ‘Art concret’ – a style dominated by mathematical and machine-like precision – feels warm.

“A se rt , it n p in is sitiv ar s a t e e tic cr est anc xpe to ula e ea he e, rie th rly ch nvi tin tic n e , ai ced con see m ar ron g m . et ac m t m e a M ext s e t xp – ph er n er to use in to C O or ize ts, ub ’D ie u d of w nc s ms whi be e oh h a ic (19 e es up , ch w h t r h 86 ty hi u po for te sin ar ou ) , I r ns cu g e gh by t id of tfu be e te l ” th n th e e W hi te

Andreas Gartus and Helmul Leder wrote that “art, particularly, seems to be sensitive to the context in which it is experienced”. They provide an addendum to O’Doherty’s comment on the museum’s thoughtful environment, the White Cube, “museum walls, of course, are not always simply painted white, and usually artworks are presented in the context of additional (textual) information, and other— carefully selected— works of art”. So here I am. Your snippet of textual information. Posted on the big wide wall beside the big wide art. Like a price tag on a car. Exclusive. Expensive.

Cognisant. Presented to you in any form or any way that will provide you with the experience you want or need.

Or maybe the experience I want you to have? What do you want from me? Do you expect this museum label to provide? Should the museum label shut up now? Should I provide the usual: Max Bill (1908-1994) Condensation Toward Yellow (1965) Oil on canvas BELUM.U517

7

Art

Paper dress printed with Andy Warhol's'Campbell's Soup' design late 1960s

Katie Ireland

8

Art

It’s the Cat’s Meow!

Méabh Magee Despite the longer hemmed dresses of the previous decade, get-ups like these were all the rage in the 1920s. In fact, attire would have actually shown the knees, as well as being the bee’s knees! Dresses became shorter to allow women to kick up their heels while dancing the Charleston and other new dance crazes, thanks to the introduction of jazz music and radio broadcasts.

However, by the mid-1920s, dresses had been simplified to suit the young and slim and this 3 piece was no exception.

Regardless, one thing is for certain – no matter what speakeasy the wearer may or may not have wandered into (depends who’s asking), they were sure to be a choice bit of calico. The sequins on this glad rag would have all peepers turning, as the lights would have reflected off them while the wearer was moving. Anyone would be a looker in one of these.

3-piece Evening Gown, mid-1920s, Beer.

9

Art

Smoking Dress Isabella Koban

One of Yves Saint Laurent’s many signature styles was the look he named ‘Le Smoking’ – a classic tuxedo redesigned and tailored for the woman who wants to turn heads and throw up a middle finger. This transcendent piece was revolutionary; first created in 1966, it dismantled the gendered boundaries of the fashion world and continues to empower the women who wear it. At the time, trousers were considered an impossible choice of evening wear for women and those who pushed the envelope with their early adoption of the look, such as Bianca Jagger donning the tuxedo jacket for her wedding in 1971, disrupted the notion of classic femininity.

This elegant reinterpretation of Saint Laurent’s iconic garment was created for the designer’s own mother, Lucienne Andree Mathieu Saint Laurent. A woman born of tragic circumstances, Lucienne rose above her troubled beginnings and guided her son into the world of fashion through a meeting with French Vogue editor Michael de Brunhoff, when Saint Laurent was just 17. The sleek black silk of this dress, entrenched in pure class, speaks to the reverence Yves Saint Laurent held for his mother. Whilst the padded shoulders hark back to the masculine origins of the tuxedo, the loose drapery and long belt suggest a casual delicacy and refinement. This dress was fashioned for the mother of a legend; bold, sophisticated, and timeless.

‘Smoking’ Dress, Yves Saint Laurent.

10

Art

Studio Access Rachel Maxwell Eager for insight into the life and work of William Conor? What better than an opportunity like this one to access the artist’s sketchbook and studio? Best known and remembered for his interpretations of the working-class, here we can envisage the artists dayto-day life.

‘Return from work’, Oil on canvas, 1931.

These preparatory drawings, or sketches in their own right, give us VIP entry to ‘behind the scenes’ inspirations that the artist recorded prior to his bigger paintings. While breathing life into such artefacts, a feeling of connection to the artist and a sense of biographical proximity is possible through this record of Conor’s everyday life in Belfast.

View from studio, 1910.

The studio now strives to perpetuate its artist’s legacy by inviting coffee drinkers and lunch-goers in Cafe Conor, opposite the Ulster Museum. Not only the invitation to this visual diary, but the studio itself, creates an intimate and tangible dialogue between memory and life.

Cafe Conor, Belfast.

11

Art

Reader Rachel Maxwell

The Reader, William Conor, 1939

The dark of day behind

I breathe.

The light of night beside me.

Now, I rest this body.

Eyes half shut,

Now, I see

But never more wide and far-reaching.

All that is invisible to those who do not

And here,

Look.

This moment’s rest, consolation.

To satisfy an ever-craving need.

Throughout day I long upon the leaves of

Now, I lean, On wood that holds this body

books I feed

On paper that fills these hands

And by night I find a resting place

On words that ease this mind,

A seat, to stop,

Another life, another

stop.

Never alone

The loud now quiet,

but a hub of a thousand connections.

End of a working day

12

Art

Puffin Over the Water Aidan MacLean

Puffin over the Water (nmni.com)

Dark aeroplane wings take flight, leaving ripples as they glide.

Keen eyes focus ahead, the dull misty depths just below, Defying gravity with breath-taking intuition and instinct.

Its air-force blue and coral beak pokes fun at its watery surroundings, As if to say, ‘catch me if you can’.

Its airborne penguin body a sign of liberty from the restraints of the ground.

This is freedom, to fly straight ahead, Having only one objective, to move further and further.

This is flight.

13

Art

Will You Share an Apple With Me? Isabella Koban Yesterday I found an apple, tossed aside from the rest of its family, bruised and lonely, begging to be snatched up in my little palm.

A screech pierced the stale air as I scooped my apple into its new warm home and flew it to safety.

Soft feet flitting on dank cobblestones, I brought my apple to you.

Shivering in the darkness, stomach growling, toes blue, I see the dampness on your tomato cheeks, hiding behind your moth-bitten sleeve.

My eyes are sore too.

You remind me of my apple, a little bruised and dirty, and alone.

But no one knows that inside, you hold the sweetness of an orchard.

The Young Eve. Helen Mabel Trevor, 1882

14

COVID-19

15

COVID-19

Resting Place

Hannah Sharp

16

COVID-19

Easter Eggs in June Aidan MacLean

Life for the past few months has been a sequence of surreal events... you could not make it up! Even the ‘pandemic’ genre films on Netflix look a bit silly now!

Personally, I cannot wait until Eason opens so I can finally satisfy my lifelong hunger for chocolate eggs in Summer!

Don’t Crème Eggs usually disappear after April? Back in March, having missed school and my last 2 weeks of liberty due to my own mystery virus, I felt I wasn’t prepared for the upcoming months of isolation. I had been delirious with a fever and missed all the hype. I found myself returning to school with only 1 day left before it would close indefinitely. It was as though I had been in a time warp and suddenly had to catch up.

I’m sixteen and 3/4s. I’m a laid back, procrastinating, disorganised kind of a guy living in Northern Ireland. In the ‘old world’, the strain of my GCSE exams would have been hitting me hard right now. I would be stressed and pulling a series of ‘all-nighters’.

Suddenly, I find myself living a ‘new normal’ and it feels like time has simply stood still, I feel like these Easter eggs currently trapped in Eason.

Staying in, watching the 24-hour news became the new ‘going out’ for the general public, with fear and hysteria enforced by Churchill-like daily speeches and government letters through doors to warn us of the dangers of leaving home.

Ironically, for me, this time has been one of reflection and creativity. I’ve been honing my music composition skills and recording music for my band (Neon Apathy).

Now thanks to the wonders of technology, it is possible to write and record a decent song together, even from miles apart.

Many other creatives talk about how

17

COVID-19 changing circumstances can disrupt their flow, however for me all I need is time, of which I am now in abundance of, and am blessed with a family that has not been badly affected by the virus.

As restrictions have eased, I’ve finally been able to see these people in all three dimensions! Going on carefully spaced, socially distanced walks has shown me how much I prefer having people as company rather than the same four walls. A recent highlight being a garden song-writing session (in the garden, not songs about gardens) with my fellow band mate, even at a social distance music can prevail!

Hairdressers were forced to close; people were forced to take their hair styles back to the 90’s.

Weirdly, I feel busier than normal, the Zoom call app drawing me back almost every day, covering my music lessons and other creative courses I now have time for (even this article is being written for one!). In many ways I have been able to be more sociable and connected, which may seem like an oxymoron but once you get used to it, I think those pixels transmitting conversations over large distances can make people almost seem like the real thing.

Overall, as refreshing as it has been to stop, think and reset, I would not choose virus inflicted, halfsolitary confinement over real life contact and connection with others.

It’s just not the same.

18

COVID-19

Going to the Garden: A Piece in Favour of Botanical Exhibitionism Eilish Mulholland Now more than ever we are seeking out green spaces. In the time of COVID-19 we all seem to be getting our hands dirty in one way or another.

Whether you’ve unearthed a shovel and trowel from the dark recesses of a dusty shed or set to work landscaping a vegetable patch into the seventh wonder of the world, we can’t deny that we’re getting closer to nature more than ever before.

the humble structure of the physic kitchen garden or rural orchard before moving on to the temporary architecture of the Georgian pleasure garden to the more famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Gardens of the Real Alcázar in Seville, and the Gardens of Versailles, this goldmine of cultural creation is often neglected in the world of museum studies.

Often defined instead by a collection of seeds, specimen samples of flora and fauna, ferns, moulds and lichen, the visualisation of garden culture is confined to the margins of museum collections. Housed in archives within the National History Museum or arranged as a collective maze of stately gardens amongst plaques and signage covered in a mixture of soil and rain, I can’t help but feel that we have been invariably cut off from the outside world of horticulture. We are used to navigating our world via our sense of touch, smell, taste, sight and

But, amongst this cultural extradition to our backyards, I wonder if this great exodus to the garden is more than passing fad. In a recent study conducted by the University of Illinois, scientists have found that nature has multiple benefits for humans.

Providing an outlet for anxiety, fatigue, stress and some physical activity, plants remind us of how to be human.

As one researcher said "Plants take away some of the anxiety and tension of the immediate now by showing us that there are long, enduring patterns in life". While many agree that being outside is good for us, in this article I’d like to make a case in favour of bringing the garden inside into our public spaces, buildings and museums.

If we begin to think more pointedly about the history of gardens, we would be right to assume that in theory, the green spaces a lot of us know and love have always existed. Beginning with

The uniform gardens of King Louis XIV.

19

COVID-19 hearing but instead in a museum we are forced to observe through glass, artificial light and carefully climatised rooms. Thereby robbing us of all our necessary senses, this polite observation without feeling just doesn’t appeal to me, I have an idea for changing this structural and gendered distance. Now before you roll your eyes and wonder about what gender and gardens have anything to do with museums, it's best to give you some facts.

For a moment I’d like you to envisage a museum exhibition where we truly let the natural outside in. There would be a faint breeze to ruffle your hair with the smell of fresh flowers and earth against the low hum of quiet conversation. You’d be perfectly entitled to sit and observe. Maybe trail your hand across a small pond, note the fish who swim there. You’d maybe even take a photo of it all or sit and meditate instead, just letting people pass you by and feeling comforted by a little slice of greenery. It may sound fantastical. It may even sound stupid.

But apart from being feasible, this garden holds more cultural significance than just being a pleasant thing to look at.

Gender inequality has affected museums for as long as they have been in practise as an institution of learning and observation. Despite women accounting for 47% of the subscribing patrons who regularly contribute to the development and upkeep of these places of free learning and exploration, in the past decade only 11% of all work acquired by museums was by female artists and creators. So, what does the garden have to do with this depreciated cohort of female visionaries? Well historically, the garden has often been the one place where we are removed from cultural inscription. Among weeds, trees and vegetation, we often don’t realise how we subconsciously apply gender to nature - both human and botanical.

The critic Stacey Alanio has written extensively on the closeness between environment and culture. In her book Undomesticated Ground: Recasting Nature as a Feminist Space, Alanio argues that nature is a “potent ideological concept”. For so long, as nature has been imbued in the female character through ideas of motherly nurturing, care and the production of femininity, Alanio argues that within true, unadulterated naturalism we can gain a liminal place for contemplative, cultural reflection.

Around you there are a host of interactive exhibits. A wall to wall exhibition that walks you through women’s contributions to botanical creation. You get to see Vita Sackville West’s infamous garden at Sissinghurst Castle, Amy Lowell’s gardening gloves. There’s a wall dedicated to paintings of gardens, Van Gogh’s sunflowers are between Anna Boch’s impressionist painting entitled “Femme dans un Paysage” otherwise known as “woman in a landscape”.

Little extracts of poetry about nature are heard over a speaker system, peppered with the sound of running water and bird song. But amongst this interaction, you’re also learning about why gardens matter. To quote Vita Sackville West “the more one gardens, the more one learns; And the more one learns, the more one realizes how little one knows.” So, from being a place of refuge, creation, experimentation or solace you’re slowly becoming aware that there’s something within nature that is oddly liberating.

20

COVID-19

Why Should You Be Visiting Museums?

Caoimhe Clements Museums are places to witness the past and the future in the present day.

A place of education, evidence and expressionism. A place to expand your knowledge and to broaden your horizon.

Art This category expands over multiple art types from Fashion and Textiles, to Paintings and Sculpture and to contemporary media such as Photography. Each section explains the history and in-depth research behind it. The viewer can engage with the history of the object and further understand why it is so important to the museum.

The museum setting is an effective way to learn about a subject or a particular interest. It is a place that inspires, motivates and helps individuals to understand the world and their interests, which goes on to benefit their research, studies or selfdevelopment.

History Did you know National Museum NI’s collection of history expands back to the 1500s and has archive maps of how the world once looked? Getting an insight to the past! It is time to learn about that history interest you craved to know more about. What is stopping you, when everything is right at your fingertips?

What you can do now?

Online Collections The Pandemic offered people the chance to see the world in a new way, experiencing museums on a digital platform brought a sense of unknown and of change. As humans we have the ability to adapt to change. A digital approach strips our comfort with physical museum visits, but offers you a source of education and learning at any time and place that suits you.

Natural Sciences Let your mind soar loose like the birds in our natural world and discover the collection of native birds and animals to Northern Ireland. Explore the Mourne Mountains, and why they are loved by locals. Engulf into the wonders of the oceans and witness skeletons of whales and dolphins that have washed up on our shorelines.

The National Museums NI Collection is available to anyone to visit online. The collection involves: •

Art

•

History

•

Natural Sciences

Google Arts and Culture App The power of digital, gives the viewer the ability to view any museum

21

COVID-19 collection in the world, Google Arts and Culture App helps the viewer to navigate this strength.

It offers: • Virtual Tours of Museums and Galleries • Education on Worldwide Museum Collections and Culture • In-depth knowledge on your favourite pieces of art, achieved by Worldwide Researchers.

• The best part – collections half away around the world are not so far away anymore!

Why Visit Museums PostLockdown?

They Are Free Museums are free and in return they make you richer – richer in knowledge.

Everyone should have the mindset to want to learn new things, it helps us to grow as individuals.

About Community Museums are not just about having collections on display, but rather a way of interacting and engaging.

Today Museums will have: •

Talks

•

Book Launches

•

Art classes

These events allow you to network, meet new people, discuss thoughts and opinions, and give you that opportunity to become a part of that community.

I encourage people not to let fear hold them back and learn about what they most desire to. See you at a museum in the near future.

22

Nature

23

Nature

Ode to an Opal Méabh Magee

Ornate it sits, begging to be touched.

Omnipotent perhaps in power, as it would have been unsurprising to Ogle at the sight of it, in the fixing of a crown fit for royalty.

Overwhelming in confusion, its colour an Odd iridescent prism, shining in striking similarity to Oslo and its Northern Lights.

Opalescent in sheen it glints, a kaleidoscope Oasis of lustrous splendour, its glossy depths an Oddity – does something more lie beneath this surface?

Occult powers rise from the solid, polished exterior, an Omen to an alternate dimension.

24

Nature

Oyster Shell Purse Amber Lively

It’s the Victorian era, imagine you’re on a golden beach with the sun beaming down on you. Listening to the tide coming in and out as the seagulls cry.

During this time, oyster shell purses were all the rage. These souvenirs were items that were sold for tourists on many pleasurable seaside resorts. The hinges are what holds this purse together and the oyster has been converted by the interior fabric.

This allows it to be strong and stay together despite it looking like a very fragile item.

The purse is as shiny and precious as the pearls that were once inside the oyster. The hinges are what gives the purse its Victorian-esque finesse, the circular clip is carved from a single flower in the centre of the delicate oysters. The metal hinges are engraved with a filigree design (very fancy!) and a small clip that closes the purse securely. Your money won’t be falling out of this purse anytime soon!

25

Contributors

Méabh Magee Hi! I'm Méabh and I'm a student at Stranmillis University College. I loved being part of the Creative Writing course with RRR as I have always enjoyed being imaginative and thinking outside the box!

Ryan Harling Having grown up in Hong Kong, the draconian laws imposed on my home this summer made me reflect on the freedom of expression that we would lose. The writing programme was a great way to focus my thoughts on this, get feedback from other fabulous young writers, and get creative!

Rachel Maxwell I am a recent masters graduate of Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies. I am an avid reader and have thoroughly enjoyed combining my interests for literary heritage and creativity throughout the RRR creative writing programme'.

Caoimhe I am a Photographer and Writer based in Belfast. My work explores the subjects of Environmental Issues and Mental Wellbeing.

Eilish Mulholland Eilish Mulholland is a 22 year old graduate based in the North of Ireland. She has been shortlisted for the Anthony Cronin International Poetry Award in 2018, longlisted for the Chair of Ireland Commemorative Anthology in 2020 and is currently working towards her first collection of short stories.

Aidan MacLean I’m 17 and from Lisburn, County Antrim. I’m currently studying A levels and hoping to study music at university. In my spare time I like to write music for my band and sometimes poetry, just for fun.

Amber Lively I'm Amber, a core RRR participant and I have loved being a part of the programmes.

Reading and writing are huge passions of mine and the creative writing course was very inspiring.

26

Katie Ireland I’m an illustrator, designer and entrepreneur with a BA in Fashion & Textiles and I’m working freelance costume trainee in film/TV whilst studying MA Film.

Isabella Koban Hiya! I spend most of my time sketching, painting, watching horror films and listening to true crime podcasts. I did a lot of essay writing during my film degree but wanted to venture out and explore creative writing, which I did! It was super fun and really helped me work some creativity out during lockdown 1.0.

Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh/Soso Derry/belfast human poet and writer who joined RRR in April 2020 and it’s been true love ever since. Soso’s RRR side effects have included clear skin, great friendships and general improved self confidence.

Museum Map

27

28