Top image: Pictured amongst the plants in the specially created dyer's garden in Belfast (l-r) are Gavin O'Connor, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Hella Sinnhuber and Stefanie Nowoczin, from artpark Hoher Berg, with Gawain Morrison of Brink!
This press release was produced and issued by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's communications office on 24th September 2024. You can read the full press release on their website.
Colour Stories: Joint Journeys of a Colour Garden, is a Cultural Bridge project presented by Brink! in Belfast in partnership with artpark Hoher Berg in Germany.
To celebrate the Autumn Equinox, Brink! in Belfast recently hosted the Climate Craic weekend festival to bring the best of climate and environmental workshops, panels and events to the heart of Belfast. Topics centred around food, waste, fashion, climate justice, and the importance of culture in inspiring change. As part of the weekend’s celebrations, members of the public were able to take part in natural dyeing workshops, helping to create colourful flags to be displayed in Brink’s sustainable city garden. These workshops formed part of the wider project, ‘Colour Stories: Joint Journeys of a Colour Garden’, a project presented by Brink! in partnership with Germany’s artpark Hoher Berg, and supported with funding from the Cultural Bridge programme.
Watch the video below:
The aim of Colour Stories: Joint Journeys of a Colour Garden is to use the arts and cultural events as catalysts for social change by educating communities to use art to make a difference to climate change. The knowledge about dye gardens and their positive influence on a community and also their way of acting is an old knowledge that has been forgotten and Brink! and artpark Hoher Bergaim is to bring this knowledge back to life.
Speaking about the partnership Gawain Morrison of Brink! said, “What unites both our organisations is our desire to preserve our world for future generations and leave a lasting impact. With a shared passion for using art and cultural events as catalysts for social change, we want to work together on the topic of climate breakdown. We take all participants on a creative journey through a colour story. This ancient knowledge of extracting natural colour dyes from plants is the starting point. We will engage with the people of Belfast to bring their stories and identities to life through colour and nature.”
Image: Participants enjoying the dyeing workshop in Belfast as part of Colour Stories.
Hella Sinnhuber, artpark Hoher Berg, added, “With this cooperation, we are also ambassadors in our networks for the challenges we have learnt about through Cultural Bridge. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are very close to our hearts and it is enriching to see them come to life.
Through the project, the ancient knowledge of dye gardens will be preserved and cultivated, and the extraction of natural colours from dye plants is the starting point. Through the cultivation and appreciation of regional cultures, by engaging with these craft techniques and making them accessible across national borders, an exchange of knowledge and the further education of each individual is to be made possible.
Stefanie Nowoczin, artpark Hoher Berg, commented, “We are deeply grateful for the funding provided by Cultural Bridge. It has enabled us to bring Colour Stories to life and to explore and celebrate the art of natural dyeing in a way that connects communities and stories. The partnership with Brink! Belfast, has been a wonderful collaboration that has allowed us to expand our outreach and share our creative process with a wider audience. Working alongside Brink! has enriched the project with new perspectives and opportunities, and we are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for our continued cooperation.”
Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, added, “The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to partner with Fonds Soziokultur, Goethe-Institut London and our arts funding colleagues across these islands in the Cultural Bridge programme. This important initiative offers a valuable opportunity for our artists to engage with their counterparts in the UK and Germany with the aim of using the arts to connect communities, develop shared understanding and facilitate social change through the creation of new, artistic work.
Congratulations to Brink! and artpark on their inspiring Cultural Bridge project, Colour Stories, which explores the topic of climate breakdown. Both these organisations share a passion for using art and cultural events as catalysts to drive awareness and positive social change.”
Image: The dyeing workshop in action in Belfast.
All images and film © Arts Council of Northern Ireland