BEYOND THE
MARGINS
Cork LBTQ+ Historical Murals Reflecting on the passage of time and the parallel struggles faced across generations, the group was drawn to Cork’s LBTQ+ history - its past, present, and future. We developed the idea of creating a mural around a timeline of Cork’s LBTQ+ history. The historical lens reinforces that LGBTQ+ people have always existed and will always exist. In highlighting women, it also underscores the often overlooked yet essential role of women in our history. However, we soon realised, through a fantastic informative talk by Orla Egan of Cork LGBT Archive, that this rich history was even broader than we had realised. It encompassed so many significant people, events, and places that we decided we should focus the idea more. From here, we developed a mural project that would depict significant LBT+ figures against the backdrop of modern-day Cork. The murals, painted on movable boards, offer a dynamic exhibition that can be shown in different locations over time, ensuring broad accessibility and visibility.
We are held by our Community In addition to the mural project, the group has envisioned a collection of postcards showcasing photographs taken by the participants. The postcards serve as a vessel to capture and share moments of everyday queer joy. While the mural is a callback to the past, these postcards are a message to the future – and that message is that we are held by our community. Moving from discussion into creative action can combat the overwhelming feeling of powerlessness, and allow us to envision a way forward. Through presenting a shared humanity and a shared vision for a progressive future, we embody a movement towards a better future for all of us together and the future will not stop. At the heart of every progressive movement lies the power of community and connection. We all need a place to belong, where being ourselves is not only tolerated but celebrated. Community offers a safe space for us to fall apart and rebuild, to challenge ourselves and to grow - it is where we rediscover our hope. The ‘Beyond The Margins’ project will exhibit the group’s creations during Cork Pride Week 2024. The ‘Beyond The Margins’ project is funded by the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community and co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of LINC implementing the project, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community, nor of the European Union.
Art and Activism I’ve always found myself drawn to activism, feeling intrinsically linked to the social injustices in the world around me. That said, for as long as I’ve been engaged in activism, I’ve also struggled with cycles of burnout. The oversaturation of daily life with news of unconscionable horrors, coupled with the frustration of discussions that seem to go in circles, leaves me frequently at the point of emotional exhaustion. Searching for a more sustainable way to engage in activism, I began exploring creativity as a vehicle for change. In creative collective action, I found a sense of connection and empathy based discussions which developed into action, leaving me feeling energised and excited instead of burnt out. The ‘Beyond The Margins’ art group has enabled me to explore this, facilitating an inclusive environment where LBTQ+ women can come together and find, within each other, a sense of hope. Taking its direction from the group, the project positions creativity as a means of expression and connection. In centering the creative process, we found that a space opens up for participants to hold one another’s experiences. Envisioning Our future – It Gets Better The initial creative workshops were discussion-based, fostering camaraderie within the group and identifying shared areas of interest. Interwoven into these discussions was the importance of intergenerational spaces. In coming to LINC, I was hugely impacted by experiencing (for the first time) an older generation of queer people who had built their lives the way they wanted to. I was hit with the emotional weight of accessing something I hadn’t even realised I was missing. The modelling of a possible future - outside of what I had been conditioned to believe was the only path, outside of the nuclear family - with community at its core. The importance of intergenerational connection also tied into the art group’s discussions around the rise of the far- right globally and in Ireland, and it’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Particularly for emerging generations, it can feel like everything is collapsing before our very eyes. Those with experience on their side however, understand that progress isn’t always linear. The cycle of pushback against progress repeats itself; it’s the same fear, the same hate. The same rhetoric and phrases have been used to demonise and scapegoat marginalised communities throughout the years. For young people, we can lose touch with our history and the resilience of our community. Having access to intergenerational spaces can ground us, give us perspective and foster hope in a future for us all. Though undoubtedly, this is a time of fear and unrest for a lot of the LBTQ+ community, especially our migrant and trans members, it is important to remember that we are not defined only by our collective suffering. Through uplifting connection and everyday queer joy, we can engage our community and the wider public through a shared humanity and a shared vision for a progressive future.
Éadaoin Flynn (they/them), LINC
‘Beyond The Margins’ is a new LBTQ+ creative project, run by LINC, and facilitated by Éadaoin Flynn. This project hopes to empower and amplify the voices of Lesbian and Bisexual (Trans & Non-binary inclusive) women through collective creative action. In a world saturated with uncertainty, we find ourselves almost constantly bombarded with negative news stories through endless media channels. This nonstop cycle of distressing messaging can leave us feeling overwhelmed and disheartened by the sheer magnitude of the challenges we face. It’s like being stuck in a loop. Even activism can feel almost pointless, as we find ourselves trapped in discussions that seem to go nowhere, leaving us exhausted and burnt out. This sense of powerlessness has caused many people to disengage from activism and even withdraw from community spaces. However, where there is community, there is hope.
progr- essive future.
COLLECTIVE CREATIVE ACTION
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