Derry~Londonderry is gearing up to play host to expansive programme of cultural events across the forthcoming year.
The big visual arts draw is obviously the Turner Prize. The exhibition will be staged in a bespoke renovated building on Ebrington Square, the site of a former military barracks. Founded by Tate in 1984, it will be the first time the Prize has ever been held outside England.
Equally exciting is UNSEEN, the largest exhibition to date of works by acclaimed Derry-born artist Willie Doherty, featuring pieces from throughout his career as well as a new series of photographs taken in Derry in 2013. It will also showcase a number of Doherty’s most important video installations, many of which were shot on the streets of Derry and the surrounding area, as well as a new film. The exhibition is co-curated by Robin Klassnik of Matt’s Gallery, London and the Nerve Centre, Derry.
Other highlights include the intriguing Portrait of a city project – a digital resource of photographs, film and oral history documenting the historical, cultural and personal stories of Derry~Londonderry. Working with community groups, schools, libraries, archives and with a drop-in office open to all, these stories will be collected over the course of 2013 and made available online. The Foyle Festival, organised by the Nerve Centre, also promises to deliver an innovative offering of outdoor screenings, directors’ talks, and a community-based cinema initiative engaging local communities in making and screening films about their areas.
Announcing the programme, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of Culture Company 2013, said: “We hope that Derry~Londonderry’s City of Culture year brings a sense of joy, a sense of ambition, a sense of pride in our community, a sense of being part of a global community, and in the end a sense of achievement – that we all did this together and it meant something. A huge success for a small city.”
