A partnership with Friends of the Earth, Digital Art Studios, Sonic Arts Research Centre and PS² (Belfast), and Banner Repeater (London)
PS2’s first major project in the new space – PS³ – is a reflection on the ongoing work with artist Ami Clarke. Based in London, Ami has been coming to Northern Ireland since 2023 to work with Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland on an expansive project: Meeting the Lough on its own Terms, which explores ways of ‘sensing’ Lough Neagh at a microbial scale, from a multi-species perspective.
In the long hot summer of 2023, Lough Neagh became overwhelmed with algae blooms to such an extent that the vibrant green images of the blue green algae went viral, making international headlines. Once a site of great abundance, supplying (as it still does) 40% of all drinking water to NI, and fishing a-plenty, with eel fishing famously being passed down through generations over centuries. The complexity of how the Lough became eutrophic presents a textbook case in converging dynamics of power, influence, and conflicts of interest, that have also developed over decades, if not centuries, around Lough Neagh and the watershed. Algae blooms offer a symptom of the climate crisis that emphasises the interconnectedness of vulnerable ecosystems with man-made systems.
August exhibition and workshops:
Thursday 7 August: exhibition launches (Late Night Art Belfast), 6pm – 9pm
Friday 8 August: collective writing event at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre (Oxford Island National Nature Reserve, Craigavon BT66 6NJ)
September exhibition and workshops:
Thursday 4 September: Late Night Art Belfast, 6pm – 9pm
Friday 5 September: collective writing and sonic ritual workshops
Saturday 27 September: exhibition closes
PS2
Property House
11 Rosemary Street
Belfast BT1 1QA
UK
07854 034 765
Email: info@pssquared.org
