Short Abstract:

This Lab targets knowledge-sharing on performance collections; centres community memories; nurtures transdisciplinary discovery of items' socio-political locations; catalyses understanding of their contemporary relevance; and converses on how to enhance access to resonant collections.

Long Abstract:

This is an in-person only event. Please register here as spaces are limited: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/easa-lab-musical-instruments-at-the-ulster-museum-tickets-292359644567

Curators, Dr Karen Logan and Tríona White Hamilton will discuss the Inclusive Global Histories concept; and how this has been shaped by the museum decolonisation movement; and by National Museums NI's emphasis on - and long history of - contributing to inclusive futures in Northern Ireland. Their tour will focus on musical instruments on display - including a raft zither from Nigeria; an Australian baobab nut used as a ceremonial rattle; performance masks from West Africa; and a vinyl recording of the American jazz composer, Sun Ra's soundtrack to the 1972 Afrofuturist film, 'Space is the Place'. In the Learning Zone on the Museum's ground floor, Belfast Zimbabwean musician, Agrippa Njanina, will play an mbira that he recently donated to the museum's collection. Roberta Bacic will introduce the 'Dancing Cueca Alone' arpillera, followed by a musical response by Victor Henriquez on charango. The arpillera, on loan from the Conflict Textiles collection, appears in the exhibition. Musician Yujing Peng will play and talk about the history of guzheng, how it is played and the different sounds it can produce. There will be a Q&A before close. Participants may also be interested that Roberta Bacic's 'Conflict Textiles' exhibition is currently showing in the Queen's University Belfast McClay Library; see https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/conflicttextiles/search-quilts2/fullevent1/?id=232 This event will be filmed and photographed.