Description
There is a growing literature on the role of art and creative methods in the study and practice of peacebuilding. While we cannot presume that art will inevitably lead to peace, arts mediums can act as mechanisms for the creation of unique connections, networks and the development of communities of resistance. This, in itself, we argue, is a powerful intervention in the process of transforming relations still affected by conflict and challenging the dominant peace paradigm. We propose the case of the Array Collective as a productive case study through which to conceptualise how resistance and peacebuilding can intersect, and to what effect. Northern Ireland based Array Collective is made up of eleven artists of diverse background who were awarded the Turner prize in 2022 for their collaborative work which exposed key contentions and social justice issues that have been side-lined in the formal peace process in Northern Ireland. While such works would not traditionally be associated with peacebuilding practices, we aim to show its critical potential to continuously reimagine peace through activism and resistance. By exploring the role of creative ties and alternative connections we seek to contribute to ongoing critical and feminist peace scholarship, that seeks to understand peace beyond institutionalised discourses and practices.
