Shared Histories - Diverse Views

Commissioned by Photo Museum Ireland, Dublin, exhibited at Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, 2024 & Nerve Centre, Derry~Londonderry, 2025

Led by artist & curator Ben Malcolmson Shared Histories is a transformative initiative engaging communities on both sides of the border, encouraging them to explore their heritage and share experiences through photography.

Project Objectives
The project is creating new sustainable photographic archives, shared locally at co-curated public events and on social media platforms, establishing lasting relationships. It aims to:

     – Connect cross-border communities through creative engagement.
     – Foster mutual understanding and cooperation between diverse groups.
     – Promote cultural expression, inclusivity, and well-being.
     – Challenge stereotypes and present authentic representations.
     – Encourage civic engagement and consensus-building.
     – Utilise photography as a tool for cultural preservation and storytelling.

Process:
Starting in March 2024 the Shared Histories project team have worked with participants from Counties Derry~Londonderry, Donegal, Fermanagh and Armagh, Louth, Monaghan and Down to explore photographic representations of the borderlands, past and present.

  • Artist & curator Ben Malcolmson supported by the project team has worked with participants to explore the National Library of Ireland’s vast photo archive to discover how photography has recorded their area – with input and illustrated talks by guest historians and curators.

  • The project team provided training on digitisation and archiving of family photographs.

  • Participants worked with Photo Museum Ireland’s team across a series of workshops in Letterkenny and Derry~Londonderry in March and in Crossmaglen and Louth in May 2024 to discuss their family histories and digitise their family album photographs.

  • Participants took part in FUTURE LAB training at the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry to explore the potential of AR in March and April 2024.

  • Artist Ben Malcolmson and Photo Museum Ireland’s curators shared recent representations of the work by leading contemporary Irish and international photographers who have photographed diverse border communities.

The project brings together these organisations, each contributing their expertise in arts, culture, and heritage. Shared Histories – Diverse Views offers a transformative cultural experience, uniting diverse communities and challenging preconceptions through the lens of photography.

Shared Histories – Diverse Views is a cross-border project organised by Photo Museum Ireland in partnership with Donegal County Council, Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, the Nerve Centre, Derry~Londonderry and the National Library of Ireland. The project is supported by Creative Ireland’s Creative Communities on a Shared Island Scheme and the project partners.