As part of the Institute programme of launch events, on Friday 7th June, we hosted a wide range of speakers and panels in the Lyric Theatre in Belfast for a symposium.

The event was organised under the theme of the 'location of narratives' and, as such examined how stories are created, imagined, represented and heard. Speakers, such as Alison Jeffers from University of Manchester and Elizabeth Crooke from University of Ulster, looked at representation of experiences in physical environments and how material objects trigger specific narratives; and panels addressed various thems such as Storytelling and Performance and the Ethics of Archives. There were speakers from a wide range of organisations including Northern Ireland Arts Council, Healing Through Remembering and also a round-table discussion focused on the BBC documentary Memory Man.

 Storytelling and Performance Panel: (from left to right) Paula McFetridge (Kabosh), Cahal McLaughlin (QUB), Mark Phelan (QUB) and Teya Sepinuck (Theatre of Witness).

Memory Man: The round-table session with (from left to right) Peter Heathwood, Bryan Thompson, Alex Bunting and Chair, Claire Campbell.

Ethics of Archive Panel: (from left to right) Claire Hackett (Duchas), Jeffery Dudgeon (NIGRA Secretary), Claire McGettrick (UCD), Sinead Pembroke (UCD) and Laura Haydon (Radio Producer/Oral Archivist)

The Audience in the Naughton Studio, Lyric Theatre, Belfast