Presenting The Duncairn’s Creative Collective
What happens when you put a bunch of creative people into a room for a whole weekend? What if it’s four weekends in a row and 25 young creatives?
These were the questions that pushed us to organise the Creative Collective (pilot project), an amazing opportunity to engage artists from diverse artforms and backgrounds and invite them to explore different ways to collaborate across artforms and produce innovative and unique art and music.
We provided the space, the atmosphere, and the nourishment. They brought their talent and creativity as well as a willingness to engage with each other, sharing vulnerabilities and their expertise.
The result was magical and enrichening for all involved on so many levels. New friendships and partnerships were formed, and new pieces of art created.
Below, painting and Sketches by Leah Davis.
“It’s been brilliant collaborating with people, it helps you get out of your creative box… It’s essential for any music scene to be nurtured and build communities, and the Duncairn is great at bringing people from all over the island and get them to collaborate. It really fosters a sense of community, and having these connections is really important in the music industry. It’s vital.”
Joshua Burnside - singer-songwriter
“As a singer-songwriter, usually it’s just me doing music on my own. This has been an amazing opportunity to have a full band working with me. I was so intimidated coming here, getting out of my comfort zone, trying to articulate my ideas to other people. But I’m so happy I came because you get so much inspiration from other people”
Rita Doherty – singer-songwriter
This was also a very important opportunity for some of the younger artists to collaborate with more experienced ones, learning from their exchange, strengthening their artistic career.
“Considering how the last 2 years have been so isolating for everyone, I think it’s really important to hang out with people again. In this group, there’s a pleasant disposition, an openness, it’s a very safe space creatively… It’s important to share ideas and get feedback creatively, gaining new perspective on old ideas you had.”
Jamie Bishop – musician
The big highlight of the Creative Collective was their performance at the Saint Patrick ‘s eve concert, right in the heart of Belfast city centre. In total 15 artist from the collective performed on stage with a further 4 performing a recorded set of music between acts on the main stage that were composed/arranged during the Creative Collective meetings.
The Creative Collective was funded by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
List of artists participating in the creative collective:
Brendan Loughran
Oisín Ó Murchú
Project funders
