The Corridor.

Last night was the launch of issue 6 of The Corridor, an interdisciplinary, discursive arts project about the Dublin to Belfast corridor, and the political, social and cultural consequences of borders explored through public talks, screenings and art.  It was in the ever-hospitable Irish Writers Centre, through which a beautiful spring day gorgeously faded into night, and was introduced by the inspiring Brian Keenan, who knows a thing or two about border states, and their consequences for human psychology.
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'The artist,' Keenan said, 'is a trespasser, a border breaker, an invader. The only border the artist follows is the map of their imagination.'

There were moving readings from Adam Trodd and Marie Gethins, whose story, 'Crushed,' lands on the powerful image of a father urging his child longing to bring their Italian heritage to an American school project to do anything but:

"He lifted my wrist and spun the globe. Countries melded into a blue-green splash. He patted my hand.
​'It's easier this way, you'll see.'"

There were also many interesting, diverse, and often personal readings from the XBorders:Transition group, now in its third incarnation. It was fascinating to see how it moved and evolved from Accord (the group I was part of in 2018) to an adjacent, but related, theme on the ever-expanding topic of 'borders.'

You can buy a copy of The Corridor here.

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