Ulster University Belfast Good Friday Agreement at 25 Arts Programme
As part of the Good Friday Agreement celebrations, Ulster University’s enhanced Belfast Campus hosted AGREEMENT, by Amanda Dunsmore.
The installation will tour Northern Ireland throughout the summer and into early Autumn.
As part of the Good Friday Agreement celebrations, Ulster University’s enhanced Belfast Campus hosted AGREEMENT, by Amanda Dunsmore. An exhibit twenty years in the making, AGREEMENT featured silent video portraits of 14 political figures who negotiated the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.
Featuring the world premiere of a new digital portrait of former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the late Mo Mowlam, created using new technology and broadcast archive footage from RTÉ, this was the first time AGREEMENT had been displayed in its entirety,
Speaking at the event Cian Smyth, Ulster Presents Programme Manager, Ulster University said that “Ulster Presents, the university’s civic arts programme, is delighted to not only be the first to display AGREEMENT in its entirety on our enhanced Belfast campus, but also honoured to be the first in the world to host the new Mo Mowlam silent portrait. Both AGREEMENT and MEMENTO – AGREEMENT will provide the public with an opportunity to reflect on the last 25 years of peace. The theme of our full, year–long calendar of arts programming will look away from political leadership and instead take inspiration from Northern Ireland citizens’ resilience in sustaining peace for 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement.”
Our role was to implement, drive and deliver a successful Ireland wide media relations campaign to officially launch AGREEMENT at Ulster University as part of the Good Friday 25th anniversary celebration. The epic art installation provided an opportunity for people to reflect on the past, what Agreement meant to them but also sparked thought provoking conversation about the future.
Working with Ulster Presents we hosted an exclusive press preview ahead of the official launch. We organised event photography and developed a target media list which included broadcast, print, picture and online media from both RoI and NI. We offered exclusive broadcast and print interview opportunities with the artist Amanda Dunsmore, funders including the NI National Lottery Fund and with past signatory Monica McWilliams from the NI Women’s coalition among others. Invited press had the opportunity to view the artistic process from initial sketches to the larger finished pieces and had first–look chance to view, never before seen, images of Mo Mowlam’s installation which were created using machine learning and archive video from RTE – a world premier for Ulster University.
We achieved widespread coverage in both the NI and RoI across TV, Radio, digital and print channels.
Working with Ulster Presents we also provided media support for the VIP reception event which included members of the McGuinness family and Mo Mowlam’s step–children as well as local business and community leaders. We captured social images, which were distributed widely, not only to daily but regional and trade press across Ireland.
The installation will tour Northern Ireland throughout the summer and into early Autumn, giving people across all communities the opportunity to view the installation first hand and reflect on what AGREEMENT means to them.
