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Belief Place by Felicity Williams set about investigating personal belief, conviction and thought through a collaborative process, considering the roles of truth and meaning in contemporary experience and the changing landscape.
The public were invited to submit their beliefs to be shown in Ballymun as part of the artwork. Over 100 people participated and a diverse body of texts was written in collaboration between the participant and the artist. The beliefs, removed from opinion and abstraction, pose questions in connection to public and private relationships, transience and temporality.
Williams produced a rich body of still imagery to accompany the texts. Each photograph containing something of both the past and present while the beliefs themselves could be read as the ‘future’ aspect of the work.
The artwork fundamentally draws attention to what people believe in today, presenting something honest, intimate and immersed in reality. Although language and form may not be able to describe the totality of a belief, the texts provide a way to communicate the essence of the individuals’ core values.
Over the course of 100 conversations and 100 texts, a common focus emerged which considers the future and the new town of
Ballymun. A dialogue has developed, and questions surrounding how people, organisations, and institutions implicate change in understanding and action arose, and form part of a wider sense and awareness of the world. Through this unique dialogue these texts and images serve as a testament to the individual’s belief, humanity and commitment to progression.
Belief Place launched in Ballymun in November 2008.
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