'This Do' Exhibition | Our Stories #Belfast2024

Exploring the connection between memory, identity, and place

This Do was originally commissioned by Belfast Buildings Trust as part of its Engaging Art work with Vault Artist Studios. Engaging Art questions Belfast’s current regeneration approach. Artists were asked to use the beautiful former Carlisle Memorial Church to create works that reflect the vital importance of using and reusing what makes Belfast special, our stories and buildings, to guide the city’s future in meaningful ways.

Special places are a powerful aid to memory, helping us vividly recall precious moments; high days and holidays, adventures, losses, friends, enemies, and loves.

But what happens when those places change use or don’t exist anymore? How do we help our memories live?

This Do asks us to consider what triggers our memories; what happens when those prompts fade or are gone completely. How do we use our pasts as time and change progress? How important are these connections in our understanding of our own identity? Do our memories make us who we are?