Local people to be celebrated in public art as Inside Out project comes to Derry & Strabane

The Inside Out Project is a platform that gives everyone the opportunity to make a statement by displaying large-scale black and white portraits of members from their community in public spaces, to turn their untold stories and what they stand for, into a public work of art.

The Inside Out - The People’s Art Project – is an independent group action organised by UV Arts C.I.C and Derry City and Strabane District Council.

It has travelled from Ecuador to Nepal, from Mexico to Palestine, inspiring group actions on varied themes such as hope, diversity, gender-based violence, climate change and over 260,000 people have participated in 129 countries.

During 2021, the project will be delivered in three sites across Derry and Strabane.

Karl Porter, Director of UV Arts CIC, explains: “The project is about celebrating our local community and mostly those who make the community what it is, this is an opportunity to build cohesion, build community pride and to really love where you live as sometimes we can take the natural beauty of our locations for granted.

“This is a chance for the local people to send us their photographs / selfies and images that will be included in our large scale printed posters that will then be pasted/ or glued onto various walls across our city and district. It’s such an engaging activity that anyone can get involved with, a fresh celebration of the people most important to us in our community and city.”

The project will see large scale images of local people attached to hoarding sites across Derry and Strabane and will be open to the public as anyone can submit their own images for inclusion in this global socially driven arts project. The final installations will be located at Ebrington Square, Strabane Alley Theatre and the Queens Quay walkway.

Mayor, Colr. Brian Tierney said: “We are delighted to have Derry and Strabane added to the impressive list of places, where this international project has been delivered. It’s a wonderful concept that will get people talking and create a buzz in our city and town centres over the next few months. I’d encourage anyone who is interested in having their photo included to contact the artists and get involved.”

To get involved, the Project is looking for photographs of individuals across the City, and further afield.

Karl added: “This year has been quite a challenging time for everyone. We’ve all done so well to look after those in need, to support each other and to help motivate us all.

“This is why we want to celebrate the people of the city, from all backgrounds and all ages.”

The project went live on Friday, April 23, and will run until Friday, May 14. Please submit images by this date. All images should be sent to [email protected]