Art, Anthropology and Commoning: A walking tour of artist-led studio and exhibition spaces in Belfast

Graphic field note courtesy of Maxime LeCalve, anthropologist of art & science / graphic ethnographer / fostering awareness of material (non)human relations at Matters of Activity, Berlin
I recently contributed to a conference lab on behalf of the 17th EASA (European Association of Social Anthropologists) Biennial Conference. Convened by researcher Kevin Flanagan, and hosted by the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics at Queen’s University Belfast, it took place between 26 and 29 July 2022. The theme for this year’s conference was EASA2022: Transformation, Hope and the Commons.
The lab was titled Art, Anthropology and Commoning: A walking tour of artist-led studio and exhibition spaces in Belfast. I presented my research to the participants, and led a walking tour between and amongst studios and artist-led spaces (current and previous) in the city on Friday 29 July, 2022 (13:15-16:00).
Lab abstract:
‘Belfast has a vibrant arts and cultural scene. This is in no small part due to the initiative of artists. Responding to a lack of facilities and precarious working conditions, artists in the city have developed a bottom-up and DIY approach to culture which has led to a flourishing of artist-led studios and exhibition spaces. These practices of self-organisation or commoning go back decades. They have been critical to the development of contemporary art and culture in Northern Ireland and have won the city international recognition.
Northern Ireland’s history of conflict continues to shape everyday life. With this year’s EASA themes of Transformation, Hope and the Commons, it seems appropriate to explore the role of art and artists in instigating playful, provocative and critical reimaginings that reconfigure identity and social relations, employing creativity as a means for reflections and interventions that engage with the challenges of contemporary life.
This lab will visit artist-led exhibition and studio spaces in the city, after which artists and anthropologists will gather for a dialogue on creative and collaborative practice in art and anthropology and reflect on the relationship between art, commons and social transformation.’
Itinerary:
Part 1: Visiting Array Collective, 13:45
Part 2: Guided walk, 14:30
Jane Morrow will speak about her doctoral research on artists’ spaces and collectives in Belfast as we are guided on a walk through the city centre. We will learn how artists and artists’ spaces are instrumentalised and subject to transformations of urban space, processes of urban redevelopment and gentrification, and the precarity that cultural workers face as they are repeatedly forced to relocate.
Part 3: visit to Catalyst Arts, 15.00
We will arrive at Catalyst Arts – one of the longest running artists collectives on the island of Ireland. Here we invite you to join us in a dialogue on the theme of Art, Anthropology and Commoning.