At the Table represents a collaboration between coculture and the Metropolitan Arts Centre (The MAC) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The aim is to use artistic participation to highlight the conditions of asylum seekers and to promote dialogues on migration, integration and human rights. The result is a multi-layered project, including the exhibition ‘Weaving the Present, Shaping the Future’ at the MAC and the subsequent visit of project representatives to Berlin.
At the Table has set a precedent for the use of arts and cultural participation as powerful tools for advocacy and social commentary. This project has successfully created an environment of empathy, understanding and action to promote the vision of a more inclusive society.
Looking to the future, the collaboration between the MAC and coculture, enriched by the experiences in Belfast and Berlin, aims to explore innovative ways of tackling complex social issues. The projects have laid the foundations for future endeavours that will continue to harness the transformative power of art to challenge, communicate and connect.
By weaving together different narratives and encouraging intercultural dialogue, the initiative has not only brought pressing social issues into focus, but has also paved the way for ongoing collaboration and participation.
Check out the Blog from Cultural Bridge about coculture's At the Table and all the other 2023 projects.
Lab Project
The Lab category features emerging project concepts exploring future artistic possibilities. These sketches represent coculture's exploratory spirit, highlighting innovative ideas awaiting development.
While realization isn't guaranteed, this space invites viewers to envision the potential of transformative art and cultural narratives.
Weaving the Present, Shaping the Future
On 12 June 2023, The MAC unveiled ‘Weaving the Present, Shaping the Future’, a socially engaged artistic intervention curated by Syrian conceptual artist Khaled Barakeh, in collaboration with Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) and the Anaka Women's Collective. This event, part of the wider ‘At the Table’ initiative, aimed to challenge perceptions and advocate for the rights and dignity of people going through the asylum system in Northern Ireland.
The exhibition was an interplay of art, activism and community participation. It included a curated performative dinner, AI-generated photographic works, a series of socially engaged workshops culminating in a fashion show and a moving performance called ‘Reverse Hierarchy’. This event not only highlighted the talents and resilience of those in the asylum system, but also served as a platform for dialogue between politicians, policymakers, human rights activists and community members.
For detailed documentation of the artistic intervention, see here.
Expansion of dialogues and collaboration
In a strategic move to expand the project's dialogues and collaborations, three dedicated representatives from PPR and the Anaka Women's Collective - Salwa from Yemen, who had participated in Weaving the Present, and Louise and Ruth, volunteers from PPR and Anaka - visited Berlin from 26 to 29 November 2023. Their mission was to deepen their understanding of the challenges faced by migrants in Berlin and explore coculture's innovative approaches.
During their stay, they exchanged ideas with Khaled Barakeh and Leonardo Vegli at coculture, shared insights and learnt about each other's work with people in the asylum system and in tackling social inequalities. Khaled also introduced the representatives to other artists and initiatives focussing on social practice and enriched their perspectives to encourage potential collaborations.
On their return, Salwa, Louise and Ruth presented their findings and experiences to their teams at MAC, PPR and Anaka Women's Collective. This further disseminated the knowledge gained and explored opportunities for future collaborative projects.
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