The Art of Listening Webinar | 19 October | 3pm – 4pm

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Join us for the webinar on The Art of Listening

Tuesday, 19 October | 3pm – 4pm

Lord Alderdice in conversation with Padraig O’Malley and Graham Spencer about the importance of listening in conflict resolution.

Register HERE.

John, Lord Alderdice is a psychiatrist who, as Leader of Northern Ireland’s Alliance Party was one of the key negotiators of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, then first Speaker of the new Northern Ireland Assembly, and subsequently one of four international Commissioners who oversaw security normalization in Ireland.  A member of the House of Lords since 1996 and Convenor of the Liberal Democrats in the Lords during the Coalition Government, he was President of Liberal International – the global federation of liberal parties – and currently has various appointments at the University of Oxford including as Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict. Lord Alderdice is also the Chairman Emeritus of the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building.

Padraig O’Malley is an Irish peacemaker, author and professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston who specializes in the problems of divided societies, such as South Africa and Northern Ireland. He has written extensively on these subjects and has been actively involved in promoting dialogue among representatives of differing factions.

Graham Spencer is Professor of Social and Political Conflict at the University of Portsmouth, UK. He has worked extensively with conflict groups in Northern Ireland and published widely on the peace process. His recent books include Inside Accounts: The Irish Government and Peace in Northern Ireland, from Sunningdale to the Good Friday Agreement (Vol 1) and from the Good Friday Agreement to the fall of power-sharing (Vol 2), Manchester University Press (2020); The British and Peace in Northern Ireland, Cambridge University Press (2015); and From Armed Struggle to Political Struggle: Republican Tradition and Transformation in Northern Ireland, Bloomsbury (2015).

 

Anthony Miller encourages public to accept themselves as ‘enough’ in final TEDxStormont Studio talk

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Celebrity columnist and law lecturer Anthony Miller has delivered the final of 12 TEDxStormont Studio talks which have taken place virtually throughout the summer 2021.

The talk, which will go live on Friday, looks at the idea of one being ‘enough’ and how the public can come to terms with who they are through the successes and losses in life.

The TEDxStormont Studio talks was aimed at encouraging the public to have a better understanding of themselves and the world around them, while also bringing together brilliant minds to change attitudes on some of today’s hot topic issues.

The series was kicked off by Belfast-based GP Dr Gareth Patterson who shared powerful testimony on his experience of Gay Conversion Therapy. Other speakers have included Irish cellist, Patrick Dexter, broadcaster turned pilgrim guide, Martina Purdy, founder of Craic NI, Eileen Chan-Hu, producer and writer Henrietta Norton and Rio Ferdinand Foundation Ambassador Leo Brown.

Curator of TEDxStormont, Eva Grosman said:

“The incredible and fascinating stories, lived experiences and ideas that have been shared with us through the Studio series have simply been an honour to be part of. Our twelve speakers have opened up and let us all into small parts of their lives, and inspired audiences across the globe.”

“In the past months, we have heard about a number of tough topics including conversion therapy, childhood trauma, and discrimination. But we have also heard hopeful messages of self-discovery and unimaginable resilience which have been lessons for us all. I hope that our audiences have enjoyed the talks as much as we had making them.

“TEDxStormont is always proud to a platform to those unique voices and ideas. This year we have been thrilled to have a summer packed with insightful and meaningful talks that have laid bare the spectrum of human emotion and have motivated our audiences to drive change. It has been an exceptional year with exceptional speakers.”

Lost Treasures of Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980-89

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Lost Treasures of Revolution: The Graphics of Solidarity 1980-89

22 September 2021 – 8 October 2021

The Barn Gallery, St John’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford

Free Admission

 

Solidarity was one of the biggest social movements of the 20th century. As the leading political force opposing communism in Poland during the 1980s, it paved the way for a peaceful transition to democracy in 1989. This exhibition explores the role that graphics played in building the movement and sustaining it during the difficult days of government repression and martial law. From its iconic logo to spontaneous poster designs and underground ephemera, Solidarity’s printed graphics created a rich visual culture of resistance that spoke to people from all walks of society. By getting involved in making and circulating these items, often at great personal risk, many ordinary people participated in the collective and transformative work of opposition.

‘Lost Treasures of Revolution’ brings together 25 Solidarity poster designs reproduced from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum alongside a selection of original badges and rarely seen underground stamps that bear witness to the grassroots creative spirit of the movement in the 1980s. The exhibition concludes with a separate display of posters and graphics from current global social movements and community projects important from the English-speaking countries’ perspective. These prompt us to consider what graphic design can do in our time to build movements and foster participation and political dialogue.

Catherine Flood, the exhibition curator, says “As well as famous poster designs, we are delighted to be showing a collection of underground postage stamps and graphic ephemera that provide vivid evidence of Solidarity’s multi-dimensional appeal in the 1980s. Most of these items were produced at a grassroots community level on small underground presses by designers and ordinary citizens working with few resources to create a new democratic beginning. As issues of social inequality and alienation are thrown into sharp relief by the pandemic, it is timely to reflect on the means by which social movements can bring people together through collective action.”

The exhibition is a part of the Annual Conference of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC) held each year at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford.  This year, from 20th to 22nd September 2021, in addition to research reports from CRIC members, the conference will explore the post-pandemic world through the lens of ‘Solidarity’.  Speaking about the event, the Director of CRIC, Lord Alderdice said: ‘We all look forward to a post-pandemic world, albeit one where we will still have to cope with the virus for the foreseeable future. The Black Death in the 14th century resulted in the end of the feudal system. Will the COVID pandemic bring about a radical resetting of life and societies around the world?  Just over forty years ago, the formation of the Solidarność trade union in Poland heralded major societal and geopolitical change not only in Poland but around the world, including the Peace Processes in South Africa, Israel/Palestine, and Northern Ireland.  Under our conference theme – Beyond COVID – Solidarity or Fragmentation we will explore what can we learn from past events about the processes of major societal change as well as what we may expect is possible post-COVID?”. 

The exhibition has been organised in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building and St John’s College, University of Oxford.

Learn more HERE.