Derry exhibition created by people impacted by mother and baby institutions to open next month

The Sunflower Project, delivered by Sole Purpose Productions, and facilitated by Shauna Kelpie, Colette Ramsey and Bronagh Corr, has been using drama and art to explore the experiences of people who have been impacted by the mother and baby institutions. Members of the group have said that the experience has freed them of the shame attached to their past and enabled them to speak about their experiences more freely.

Caitriona Cunningham, who participated in the project, said: “There was always a feeling of shame in having been associated with these institutions. Through this project and the support of everyone involved I, for one – and I’m sure the others feel the same – now know that the shame has totally disappeared.”

Colette Ramsey is a researcher who worked with the group. She said: “A change was noted from the beginning to the end of the project in how participants approached the issue of anonymity. Initially, participants expressed concerns around confidentiality and how this would be maintained throughout the project. Concerns were mainly based on participants’ need for privacy, confidentiality and to avoid judgement and stigma associated with their experiences. As the project progressed, these needs greatly reduced and by the showcase in June last year, had almost completely dissipated for all participants.”

In June last year, the group presented an evening of their written work to an invited audience in The Derry Playhouse, which was very well received. One audience member said: “I found this a very emotional and profound production. The photographs and headings brought the stories to life. Such brave and wonderful people. I thought the range of stories from different perspectives was amazing.”

Shauna Kelpie, who directed and facilitated the project said: “The Sunflower Project focused on the innate, individual creativity of each member of the group. The resulting work is all due to their willingness to be open, share and trust''.

The exhibition includes a film of the monologues they presented last year and the art works they have been developing this year under the guidance of artist Bronagh Corr. Bronagh said: "The group engaged in a reflective art process exploring their own experiences and creative expression, which resulted in a series of beautiful and meaningful drypoint prints."

Artistic Director of Sole Purpose Productions and Manager of the project, Pat Byrne said that it has been a ‘moving’ and ‘profound’ project. “I feel honoured to be working with the people who have facilitated the group and taken them on this journey. I am very proud of all the participants for their bravery, honesty and willingness to give it a go, and very grateful to the funders for supporting this important endeavour.”

This project is supported by The Ideas Fund which is delivered by the British Science Association and funded by Wellcome. Jill Cornforth, Grants Manager at the British Science Association said: “We’ve been privileged to support this amazing project and see the impact it’s had.” To find out more visit www.theideasfund.org.

Sole Purpose receives annual funding to support their work from the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Lizzie Devlin, Community Arts Officer, commented: “Sole Purpose Productions is one of Northern Ireland’s leading community arts organisations. They excel at bringing us challenging issues to the fore that demonstrate the power of the arts as a tool to create open discussion and stimulate social change. The Arts Council is pleased to support this latest emotive and thought-provoking exhibition, based on the first-hand testimonies of those impacted by mother and baby institutions.”

The exhibition will take place on October 2-15 at St Columbs Hall, 11am – 5pm Tuesday – Saturday. For further information, visit www.solepuprose.org or contact [email protected].