Conflict Textiles @ Special Collections & Archives
Special Collections is pleased to host an exhibition of books, publications and ephemera from the private library and archive of curator Roberta Bacic. The Conflict Textiles exhibition runs from 15 January 2025 to 19 March 2025 on the ground floor of the McClay Library.
Curated by Roberta Bacic and Helen Maguire, with the assistance of Keli Harrington, the materials on display explore textile language, conflict, and women’s voices. They complement the material and online Conflict Textiles collection and most of them have not been seen publicly before. The display includes books, posters and other printed materials produced for different exhibitions and events around the world.
At the core of the collections are arpilleras. These hand sewn, appliquéd picture textiles, stitched onto a hessian/burlap backing, came to prominence during the Pinochet regime in Chile (1973-1990). With scraps of fabric, women came together to share and document their stories of the violence and repression of the dictatorship era.
The display on the ground floor has been curated in conversation with the fifth and current installation in the McClay Library.
Rotating exhibitions at the library started in March 2021. Currently on the wall is this five-piece installation that marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25th November) and is part of the UN’s UNiTE campaign. The commemoration lasts 16 days, concluding on International Human Rights Day (10th December).
The primary goal of ARK, Northern Ireland’s social policy hub, is to increase the accessibility and use of academic data and research. It is based across the campuses of Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast. One of the display cases contains publications and materials related to their findings.
