A well-known interface between Bishop Street and the Fountain in Derry city has had a facelift with creative imagery and powerful quotes depicting local women’s experiences living near interfaces.
The Wall Museum Exhibition will be on display on the interface for six months and is part of a partnership between local Peace Barriers project, The Bogside, and Brandywell Initiative (BBI) and the International Fund for Ireland's (IFI) Peace Barriers Programme.
The initiative aims to provide a platform for women on both sides of the interface to document their experiences during the troubles whilst transforming the look of the wall.
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The exhibition evolved from a series of conversations between the women, who are from the Bogside, Brandywell, Creggan, Fountain and Bishop Street who discussed their lives and their experiences during the troubles.
The discussions, facilitated by playwright Anne McMaster were then developed into a video entitled ‘Women, Words and Walls’ with the exhibition itself coming after that.
International Fund for Ireland (IFI) Board Member, Peter Osborne said: “The experiences of women during the Troubles have often been forgotten, particularly when it comes to understanding how it impacted their lives and families. Living close to an interface during this period put a physical barrier between neighbours who, in many cases, never knew they existed.
“This exhibition not only documents important experiences from women across the once very divided areas of the Bogside, Brandywell, Creggan, Fountain and Bishop Street, but it makes a once divisive interface more accessible, open and visually appealing."
He continued: “Peace barriers have become a constant visual and physical representation of the division that still exists in Northern Ireland and whilst it is right that we look at ways of removing or reimaging these we also need to acknowledge that for many, these barriers have been a safety net.
“The IFI’s Peace Barriers Programme (PBP) is a core strand of the IFI’s reconciliation efforts with the organisation supporting interface communities since 2012. Initiatives like this Museum offer the opportunity for tangible engagement between communities that can, in time contribute to the reimaging of barriers with community consent.”
Other activities delivered by BBI include a play entitled ‘This is Us’, which on the back of the success of ‘Women, Words and Walls’, some of the women got involved in a creative writing course to document their experiences as women in the City, including living with the legacy of conflict.
They worked with playwright Anne McMaster who supported them in writing a short play from their words which they performed in front of the Hens’ Shed ladies.
The Hens’ Shed was created after lockdown in the Triax area, becoming a cross-community hub of approximately 120 women who engaged in a vast range of activities and are increasingly getting involved in hard-hitting peacebuilding work.
Kyra Reynolds, Development Worker with BBI, added: “The Wall Museum Project was our way of keeping the cross-community relationships we have worked hard for over a number of years alive and thriving during coronavirus >Covid when people were confined to their homes.
"The women took to Zoom and talked about everything, from the games they played as kids, their experiences of the Troubles, their school-life, and their favourite sweets, to their caravan escapes in the summer, having children and getting married.
“These powerful conversations broke down myths of the ‘Other’ on the opposite side of the mental and physical walls. They discovered that they had much more in common than they did differences. The group, laughed, cried and shared their stories with one another. These women inspire me; their bravery is amazing. The resulting exhibition of their words will generate important discussions in the local area, ones which need to be had if we are to move forwards towards a more progressive and peaceful society”.
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