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'Reframing Reconcilliation'
Possible Post-Conflict Post-Brexit Post-Pandemic Post-Centenary Futures at Belfast Cathedral
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From 'City Centre' to
Centre of the City
Welcome to
'The Epicentre of International Post-Conflict Thinking'
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Our Aim
This project seeks to facilitate the ‘Unheard Voices’ of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and rethink the role of Belfast Cathedral in post-conflict reconciliation at both a local and global scale.
It asks how we can preserve the church’s cherished heritage while breathing new life into it as a future tourist venue and international centre for how we learn from our past and ‘do’ relations better.
The project is born out of the need for a ‘central hub’ of memory and acknowledgement that brings together the rich work that has already been done around conflict, peace, and healing in Northern Ireland. In light of current transformations in the Cathedral Quarter, it equally interrogates the potential of St. Anne’s Cathedral to create new partnerships and relations between creative institutions, venues, and communities within the area.Stephen Forde, Dean of Belfast Cathedral
Our Vision
Any intervention needs to sustain Belfast Cathedral as a building and its function as a place of worship but equally act as a place and springboard for discussion around healing and reconciliation in post-conflict NI.
In addressing the short-term and long-term futures of the cathedral, we envision a series of phased interventions that will uncover the potential of this sacred site: from repurposing the crypt as a space of contemplation to more playful interventions that will transform its grey space into a more sustainable public garden of vibrant commerce, reframing its connection to the surrounding area and international stage.We firmly believe that Belfast Cathedral can be an emerging new voice of healing in Northern Ireland and further afield.
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The Strength of
Sacred Space
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The Experience of
Sacred Space
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A place to Heal Reflect Respect
Connecting with...
Fresh Eyes
Creating a Respectful and Impactful experience for young people.
Engaging with the intergenerational suffering of the Troubles and moving forward.
From Loss to Hope -
A place to Share Learn Worship
Connecting with...
Lived Experience(s)
Providing a Welcoming and Supportive environment for those who endured the conflict.
Allowing their stories to be shared through worship and learning.
From Suffering to Healing -
A place to Celebrate Play Enjoy
Connecting with...
The Tourist
Incorporating the Dramatic and the Photogenic to put Belfast Cathedral on the International Stage.
Discovering the site through the lens of social media but presented with an unexpected and authentic experience.
From Passerby to Ally
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Strengthening...
Healing
“All children under the age of 15 across the island of Ireland will attend this space at least once during their education”
Belfast Cathedral has always been a place of worship and celebration for all generations within the city. This project will maintain the church's role in support and worship while opening up the site to a wider audience as a place for acknowledgement, memory, and healing. It will act as a living memorial and testament to both the Troubles in Northern Ireland and international conflict as a universal experience.
Alongside providing a central hub for weekly, monthly, and yearly ‘healing’ events for those with lived experience of conflict, the scheme will also introduce an educational strategy for youth and children. This will engage the ‘fresh eyes’ of younger generations from across the isle of Ireland to engage with processes of reconciliation on both an individual and collective level.
In its offer to the city, the cathedral and its proposed ‘Healing Gardens’ will also promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being for all.
“There’s always a positive story to be told even during the worst of times”
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Strengthening...
Resilience
“A resilient city needs space to seed, sow, grow, and flourish”
The project will implement a series of site specific resilience principles that will gradually redevelop the existing car park around the cathedral into a dynamic green space to celebrate, play, and enjoy. This will align with the city’s objective to remove cars from the city centre by linking up greenways and walkways to re-prioritise walking and cycling across Belfast.
A phased approach will see the use of the car park gradually give way to green space and alternative sources of income from local commerce and tourism with an emphasis on low carbon footprint.
As a starting point, the cathedral area will form part of the 2023 Belfast Urban forest project which will see nature reintroduced to the city landscape. This will generate both social and environmental resilience.
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Strengthening...
Heritage
“Preserving history and heritage by projecting possible futures”
Building on the rich architectural heritage of Belfast Cathedral, this project will showcase the unseen, unheard, and untold stories of the Troubles. Through hosting an array of oral and visual histories, the project will generate a counter-dynamic to canonical understandings of conflict in NI. It will shine a light on the positive work done by the people, and the church, during the toughest of times.
Using the past to address the present and project the future, our programming will promote community engagement, positive placemaking, and participation to give ownership of the site to the people and contribute to making our shared future as inclusive as possible.
Through partnerships with creative institutions within the area, such as Ulster University, Belfast Cathedral will also bring together artisanal and digital craft to bring new social, cultural, and economic value to the area: from the conservation of heritage to a test-bed for advance manufacturing.
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Strengthening...
Tourism
“From the Belfast Story visitors will come here to delve deeper”
Belfast Cathedral and ‘Unheard Voices’ will create a new and distinct offering to the international tourist. This unique facility, which will be able to be accessed across the island of Ireland, will build upon linkages with existing tourist venues across the city to ensure that Belfast is a ‘must see’ destination. By employing a bottom-up approach, this project will allow the people of Northern Ireland to tell their stories from a new perspective when compared with existing government-led schemes.
For those tourists who wish to delve deeper into their experience of Northern Ireland, Belfast Cathedral will be a future central hub for visitors to really reflect on the sensitivities of the Troubles and their journeys across the province.
Its cultural programme will also see a wide range of international audiences engage with the city through a variety of festivals and events that will cater to a diverse demographic.
“A creative and visual response to the human and emotional cost of conflict through lost lives”
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Strengthening...
Place
“Bringing the vibrant city to the edge of the Cathedral”
From its cobbled streets to an array of creative institutions and historic venues, the Cathedral Quarter has a distinctive sense of place in Belfast. By opening up the site at Belfast Cathedral, this project will strengthen the area’s connectivity on a physical level while providing a platform for new partnerships and collaborations to emerge.
By introducing a dynamic new green space and a range of diverse tourism and culture pop-ups, this project will bring the vibrancy of Belfast to the walls of the Cathedral. This centralised activity will make best use of the area’s distinctive qualities to provide a space where locals and tourists can come together.
The legacy of this project ultimately lies in the sense of identity and place that it will generate in Belfast’s city centre. A place of healing, reflection, sharing, learning, celebration, play, and enjoyment: a place for all.
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A Phased Approach
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A future unfolding...
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Connecting Cathedral to City...
