The launch will include a short introduction by authors Magowan, Rebelo and Lehner and the performance of  Sounding Conflict: A Performance in Five Acts.The work, created by Pedro Rebelo with Matilde Meireles - a 30 minute performance film directed by Patrick J O’Reilly with performers Joe Loane and Keith Singleton and live performance with Luna Kalo and Aisling McCormick. The work aims to bring together various strands of field work from the Sounding Conflict project across regions such as the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Brazil.The film element of the installation depicts two young men incessantly cycling through state of destruction and rebuilding, a house, a wall, a city…  Structured over five acts and a coda, the filmed performance reflects acts of resistance, reconciliation and resilience as the two men struggle to control a world made of bricks in an ever hopeful set of actions.

The ability for sound to create space and materialise action is explored through the creation of a sonic world which constantly shifts between the concreteness of building and destruction, to surrounding soundscapes and references to Syrian, Brazilian and Northern Irish Hip Hop. The global conventions of Hip Hop combined with its very notable regional variations presents a sonic palette to question the role of music created under conflict situations. The performance will be followed by a short Q&A session and refreshments. 

Sound, music and storytelling are important tools of resistance, resilience and reconciliation in creative practice from protracted conflict to post-conflict contexts. When they are used in a socially engaged participatory capacity, they can create counter-narratives to conflict. Based on original research in three continents, this book advances an interdisciplinary, comparative approach to exploring the role of sonic and creative practices in addressing the effects of conflict. Each case study illustrates how participatory arts genres are variously employed by musicians, arts facilitators, theatre practitioners, community activists and other stakeholders as a means of 'strategic creativity' to transform trauma and promote empowerment. This research further highlights the complex dynamics of delivering and managing creativity among those who have experienced violence, as they seek opportunities to generate alternative arenas for engagement, healing and transformation. 

The book and performance are outputs of the ESRC/AHRC funded research project “Sounding Conflict: From Resistance to Reconciliation”. For more information please visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/SoundingConflict/

Please note this event is part of the programme for the EFACIS (European Federation of Associations and Centres of Irish Studies) Conference and spaces will be limited. 

The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice

SARC: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Sound and Music