Ekphrasis: Writing & Art

Our Ekphrasis projects build on the long history of dialogue between writers and artists in Belfast, and reflect the interdisciplinary research interests at the Seamus Heaney Centre.

Every year we collaborate with the Ulster Museum and their curators on a series of seminars and live events, and publish a pamphlet of new poems written by our students in response to artworks from the Museum's collection. These poems remain connected to the artwork through inclusion in their permanent collection files.

Besides the annual collaboration with the Ulster Museum, many of our staff and students are involved in the visual arts through art criticism, curatorial work, and individual art practices.

Colin Middleton and John Lavery (2023/24)

Colin Middleton: Among this Peace and Noise

An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Colin Middleton, spanning six decades. Middleton was a close friend of many writers, including Seamus Heaney. The Colin Middleton exhibition runs until 21 Jan 2024.

Opera Salon Series

For the first time, the Ekphrasis Project looks at opera as a source of inspiration, with two visits to NI Opera's salon series at the MAC and talks from specialists in composition and costume design. This has been kindly supported by the Queen's Annual Fund.

Lavery on Location

Lavery On Location explores some of the key destinations in Lavery’s art, from Morocco and Palm Springs to Lough Derg in County Donegal. With over 70 works, many from private collections, this is a rare opportunity to discover more about this area of Lavery’s career.

Renaissance to Romanticism (2022/23)

Renaissance to Romanticism

Renaissance to Romanticism draws together many of the finest pre-1900 Irish, British and European paintings in the Ulster Museum collection. Spanning the 1500s to the late 1800s the works have, for the first time, been arranged regardless of geographical borders.

Image: Spring (1633), Pieter II Brueghel, 1564-1638, © National Museums NI, Ulster Museum Collection

The Pamphlet

Writers featured in the pamphlet are: Freya Elliott, Rebecca Emmet-Booth, Viviana Fiorentino, Sam Furlong Tighe, Colette Henry, Emma Kane, Hazel Naughton, Hilary McDaniel, Maeve McKenna, John Moriarty, Matthew Rice, Babita Sharma, Alexandra Ward and Benjamin Webb.

Collage: A Political Act (2022)

with support from Padraig Regan

Collage: A Political Act

Featuring recent acquisitions by international artists such as Troy Michie, and local pieces by Belfast based Joy Gerrard and Turner prize winners Array Collective - previously ‘throwaway’ artworks are made permanent and given new meaning.

The Pamphlet: Finding the Edge

With writing by Morgan Leathem, Matthew McGlinchey, Eoghan Totten, Dara McWade, Eoin Kelly, Joanne McCarthy, Suzi Bloom, Harry Bradley, Alanna Offield, Rose Winter, Emma Gibb, and Charlie McElwain.

Creating art from art

Our Ekphrasis Project has been featured in the Impact Magazine of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. The collaboration took place in the 2021 Ekphrasis Project when none of the students at home or abroad had access to the gallery space. The short film showcasing the works is still available to view in our collection on QFT Player.

Hear all about it from our former Fulbright scholar, Professor Jenny Browne, and some of the participating students.

A Unique Silence (2021)

in partnership with Professor Jenny Browne and her students at Trinity University Texas

A Unique Silence: the Rembrandt Etchings

The first chance to see six etchings by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, since they were gifted to the Ulster Museum. Visit the online exhibition here...

The Pamphlet

Featuring new work by students from the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's and Trinity University Texas. Download the pamphlet here...

The Readings

With readings by contributing poets filmed at the Ulster Museum, and AI-generated visuals by Glenn Marshall. Watch now...

Changing Views (2020)

with support from Padraig Regan, Fulbright scholar Jenny Browne and SHC Fellow Vahni Capildeo

Changing Views: the Artist as Traveller

Conversation was led by guest tutors Padraig Regan, Jenny Browne and Vahni Capildeo. Learn more about the exhibition here...

The Pamphlet

Featuring writing by Bebe Ashley, Jess McKinney, Caitlin Phenix, John Reid, Noah Swinney, Grace Tower, Milena Williamson, Padraig Regan and Vahni Capildeo.

The Readings

With readings by contributing writers, alongside the artworks, it was filmed during lockdown and features music by Duke Special.

Privilege of Distance (2019)

with poems in response to a range of works from across the Ulster Museum's collections

Privilege of Distance: Collection Highlights

Conversation was led by Dr Stephen Sexton and Curator of Art Anna Liesching. Learn more about the Museum's Collections here...

The Pamphlet

Featuring poems by Bebe Ashley, J. Taylor Bell, Bart Breathnach, Supriya Dhaliwal, Erin Gannon, Aine McAllister, Mícheál McCann, Marcella Prince, Andrew Rahal, and Milena Williamson.

That All I'd Seen Would Be Left Untranslated

commissioned by the Courtauld Institute of Art on the occasion of RES/Fest Belfast 2018.

That All I'd Seen Would Be Left Untranslated

RES/Fest Belfast coincided with the loan of the Courtauld's Female Nude, by Amedeo Modigliani to the Ulster Museum in October 2018.

The Pamphlet

Featuring poems by Padraig Regan, Emma Must, Stephen Sexton, and Caitlin Newby, and published in collaboration with the Ulster Museum and Courtauld Institute of Art.

Art & Writing: with Stuart Cumberland & Jake Hawkey

Poet and PhD candidate Jake Hawkey talks with painter Stuart Cumberland, finding common ground in their research and creative practices.

Watch it here

FRONTIER WORK: Four Artists on Ireland's Border
14 Jan - 4 Mar 2022, Regional Cultural Centre in Donegal
The exhibition marking 100 years of Ireland's border, is curated by Garrett Carr, senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's, and author of The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland’s Border.
The exhibition and associated events are organised by Artlink and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.

The Seamus Heaney Centre

Ekphrasis: Writing & Art

Colin Middleton and John Lavery (2023/24)

Colin Middleton: Among this Peace and Noise

Opera Salon Series

Lavery on Location

Renaissance to Romanticism (2022/23)

Renaissance to Romanticism

The Pamphlet

Collage: A Political Act (2022)

Collage: A Political Act

The Pamphlet: Finding the Edge

A Unique Silence (2021)

A Unique Silence: the Rembrandt Etchings

The Pamphlet

The Readings

Changing Views (2020)

Changing Views: the Artist as Traveller

The Pamphlet

The Readings

Privilege of Distance (2019)

Privilege of Distance: Collection Highlights

The Pamphlet

That All I'd Seen Would Be Left Untranslated

That All I'd Seen Would Be Left Untranslated

The Pamphlet

Art & Writing: with Stuart Cumberland & Jake Hawkey

Ekphrasis: Writing & Art

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