On the Way
Newry Town Hall
Jan 2020
Bbeyond proposes the theme and concept of Freedom and Identity, with the potential sense of Freedom from Identity, to help expand our thinking on Identity. On the Way … Step by Step uses Freedom and Identity as themes to develop a deep ecology where the role of artists is in promoting creativity as outlets of contemporary thinking moving the agenda from ego to eco and beyond echoing contemporary issues. Bbeyond endeavours to engage with these issues through promoting solo and groups performance art works.
The NI border represents division and with its centenary looming and Brexit taking place, Bbeyond wishes to highlight this very important and sensitive aspect of Freedom and Identity proposing performative ways to overcome divisions, even if its only a momentary overcoming or eclipsing chronological time. This is arts essential essence and potential, ‘art as unity’ as Iris Murdock encapsulates it.*
Performances by:
Boris Nieslony, Karin Meiner, Nieves Correa, Anette Friedrich Johannessen, Mari Norddahl, Bernadette Hopkins, Elaine McGinn, Eleni Kolliopoulou, Sandra Corrigan Breathnach, Zara Lyness
*Iris Murdoch, writing in ‘Metaphysics as a guide to morals’, (p8) “Art makes places and opens spaces for reflection, it is a defence against materialism and against pseudo-scientific attitudes to life. It calms and invigorates, it gives us energy by unifying, possibly by purifying, our feelings. In enjoying great art we experience a clarification and concentration and perfection of our own consciousness. Emotion and intellect are unified into a limited whole. In this sense art also creates its clients; it inspires intuitions of ideal formal and symbolic unity which enables us to co-operate with the artist and to be, as we enjoy the work, artists ourselves. The art object conveys, in the most accessible and for many the only available.
The On the Way event was followed by a public Bbeyond Monthly Performance in Newry on the Saturday.
Images courtesy of Jayne Cherry and Jordan Hutchings.