First Ever Sustainability and Arts Festival at Queen’s

A new art exhibition which explores the impact of plastic waste on our oceans has kicked off a new sustainability and arts festival at Queen’s University Belfast.

The exhibition, which launched on Thursday 18th April, showcases work from US artist Ingrid Hess, and highlights the challenge micro plastics pose for our oceans. Ingrid has teamed up with local social enterprise Bryson Recycling for the exhibition, who have provided 2,000 used plastic bottles for the art piece.

The exhibition also features an accompanying sound installation by Bihe Wen, a PhD candidate at the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s, alongside noises from plastic bottles and takeaway containers, weaves an auditory tapestry that transports listeners into the heart of nature, making the exhibit even more immersive and engaging for visitors.

On Friday morning, a group of local schoolchildren from Holy Rosary Primary School also attended a unique event to hear more about the art from Ingrid, and took part in a plastic and environment workshop with Belfast City Council, designed to advance their understanding about the impact plastic waste is having on the world around us.

‘Full of Wonder or Full of Plastic? You Decide’ will run in the Naughton Gallery at Queen’s University Belfast until Sunday 12th May.

Between Thursday 18th April and Saturday 20th April, a 3-day festival, ‘Reach 24’, was held, which aims to examine the climate emergency and sustainable solutions via various mediums including a drawing workshop, film screenings, performances, talks and the art exhibition.

The festival hosted inspiring presentations from people who are leading the way when it comes to pairing arts and sustainability, including a keynote presentation from Alison Tickell, Director of Julie’s Bicycle, a pioneering not-for-profit that mobilises arts and culture organisations to act on the climate crisis.

Queen’s Film Theatre (QFT) hosted a special screening of two important environmental documentaries about rising sea levels, followed by a panel discussion.

Attendees were invited to immerse themselves in sound at the Sonic Laboratory in Queen’s Sonic Arts Research Centre. The Sonic Lab, which is often called the ‘cinema for the ear’ is a specialist acoustic space designed to provide a unique listening experience via 48 loudspeakers. A showcase of sounds was played in the Sonic Lab as part of the festival, including ‘Breathe’, which shows the impact of climate and environmental damage on woodlands by simulating the atmosphere we’re predicted to have in 2050, and ‘Dune’s Song’, which allowed attendees to hear a sound often heard in deserts, but which is sadly being lost due to climate change.

Professor Michael Alcorn, Pro-Vic-Chancellor for Sustainability and Strategic Projects at Queen’s said: “As a global institution, Queen’s has an important role to play in making a positive impact on our environment.

“Our Strategy 2030 sets out how we will embed the UN Sustainable Development Goals across all our activities, and the Reach 24′ arts and sustainability festival is one of the ways we are nurturing a culture of sustainability. In partnership with SDSN, we are bringing together leading experts in the art world to explore the climate crisis and to discuss sustainable solutions to help tackle it.”