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BELFAST EXPOSED

HEALING
THROUGH
PHOTOGRAPHY
CONFERENCE

03-04 APRIL 2023 . VARIOUS LOCATIONS, BELFAST
The Conference

HEALING THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY
CONFERENCE

Seeing Through A Different Lens

A two-day conference examining the use of photography to support those experiencing mental health.

 

Learn from industry experts and experience first-hand the work Belfast Exposed has been delivering in this field over the past 25 years. See the therapeutic benefits of photography and its processes brought to life. Get an insight into inspirational, real-life stories. Learn and develop new techniques and share your experiences with peers.

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With keynote speakers at the Metropolitan Art Centre (MAC), the conference also gives you a chance to explore the Cathedral Quarter, the beating heart of the visual arts in Belfast. We want to make your experience as creative and active as possible. Through the conference’s creative programme, you get a chance to explore the galleries and vibrant street art situated around historic St Anne’s Cathedral and the bustling University of Ulster campus, as you’re guided between workshops and talks.
 
Over two days, you’ll have the opportunity to engage with 15 keynote speakers, 11 visual art exhibitions, 10 workshop/case studies, 6 artist talks and to take part in an adventurous sunrise photoshoot on Belfast’s beautiful Cave Hill and a Maritime walk. This unique combination is guaranteed to provide two fulfilling days you can’t afford to miss!

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Speakers

Speakers

Progamme

Programme

DAY 1

6:00AM

Sunrise Photography Workshop at Cave Hill

8:00AM

BREAKFAST at Victoria Square

9:00AM

Registration & Refreshments

9:30AM

Welcome & Film Screening, Deirdre Robb, CEO Belfast Exposed

10:00AM

Roisin McDonough, Arts Council NI

10:20AM

Cathal McNaughton, Pultizer Prize Winner

11:00AM

Networking Break

11:30AM

Noel Kelly, CEO Visual Artists Ireland

12:00PM

Jack Moyse, Photographer & Activist

12:40PM

LUNCH and Artists Talks

2:20PM

Anthony Luvera, Photographer

2:50PM

Pick'n'Mix Workshops & Case Studies

3:20PM

BREAK

3:50PM

Pick'n'Mix Workshops & Case Studies

4:20PM

Panel Discussion 

4:45PM

CLOSE

6:00PM

'Maritime Mile' Photography Walk

7:00PM

Drinks Reception

DAY 2

9:00AM

Registration & Refreshments

9:30AM

Welcome, Deirdre Robb, CEO Belfast Exposed

9:45AM

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr Tina Black

10:00AM

Darren Ferguson, CEO Beyond Skin

10:30AM

Professor Siobhan O'Neill, NI Mental Health Champion

11:00AM

BREAK

11:30AM

Damien Coyle, CEO Arts and Disability Forum

12:00PM

Dr Pamela Whitaker, Lecturer in Art Psychology, Ulster University

1:00PM

LUNCH

2:20PM

David Cutler, CEO Baring Foundation

2:50PM

Pick'n'Mix Workshops & Case Studies

3:20PM

Networking Break

3:50PM

Pick'n'Mix Workshops & Case Studies

4:20PM

Panel Discussion

4:45PM

CLOSE

6:00PM

Lagan River Walk

7:00PM

Conference Closing Drinks, The Dark Horse

Seeing Through A Different Lens

It is hard to ignore the issues surrounding mental health in our society and the problems associated with the chronic underfunding of our health services.

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In The UK, two-thirds of people (65%) say that they have experienced a mental health problem. This rises to 7 in every 10 women, young adults aged 18-34 and people living alone. Individuals in Northern Ireland are 25% more likely to suffer from a mental health condition than those living elsewhere in the UK. It is also recognised that more people in Northern Ireland have died through suicide since the Good Friday Agreement than through the 40 years of the Troubles.

 

Mental illness can cast a long shadow on individuals, families and communities. We believe that tackling mental health in creative ways presents unique opportunities for healing and can have long-term benefits of providing coping mechanisms integrated into everyday living. We need to work together to achieve this.  

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To this end, we want to explore new ways of working and create a wider awareness of how therapeutic photography can support individuals and communities. 

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Key Themes

  • Address key challenges facing mental health and how therapeutic photography can assist in the current mental health crisis.

  • Bring together policymakers, photography and arts organisations, leading academics, and people with lived experience 

  • Discover the latest practices on creative healing 

  • Gain a greater understanding of international and national activities 

  • Identify mental health care gaps, and how to bridge them

  • Explore lessons learnt through live case studies 

  • Hear from lived-experience speakers, and discover how we can use insight to co-design and improve the delivery of programmes. 

  • Provide a network of international collaborators

  • Art Industry professionals who want to know more about using art to support mental health within communities. 

  • Professionals from health care sectors who are interested in non-clinical means to support the mental health of their clients. 

  • Photographers and Artists. 

  • Socially engaged artists. 

  • Students and academics exploring mental health and arts

  • Communities wanting to explore alternative ways to support mental health 

  • Anyone with an interest in the subject

  • Businesses who understand the benefits of supporting mental health in communities

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Who should attend

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