Arts Writing in NI: Dearth and Emergence

Usually attached to good news, from home in Northern Ireland I've been seeing much bemoaning of the lack of critical engagement with the arts and how voiceless and unseen artists feel due to this. In response I find myself torn, initially internally screaming: I'm right here and yous have been actively ignoring me for twelve years! And the platforms where people like me used to discuss your work spluttered to closure in the years following the 2008 economic crash and *I can't live off air and good will!* Ahem. Then I gather myself and completely agree, but remain frustrated that those economic circumstances are not taken into account, that when I turned up to events at the Ulster University Art College during my PhD (2008-11) I was made to feel like an outsider by some because I was attached to Queen's and I kept turning up regardless, that there wasn't enough support for publications like Circa or Fortnight to keep them going and they didn't pay for contributions anyway, that I approached Arts Council Northern Ireland when I won the contract for my book about film and visual culture in contemporary NI and they wouldn't help in any way even though it was choc-full of local artists plus I was earning less than the dole at the time and really struggling to live (by the way, I've never had any royalties, just a few quid in secondary royalties), that whenever there are opportunities to develop a culture of critical writing they're always aimed at 'emerging' writers so oul' duffers like me with the knowledge and skills and lack of opportunity don't get a look in, and yet our work - our actual published already-in-the-world work - doesn't exist? How are we expected to feel? Why do you think I beg for money at the end of each of these freely accessible blog posts? Why do I have Patreon and encourage support payments for Audiovisual Cultures (have I mentioned I make a whole podcast about film and the arts?) that's also freely available? Because it takes a lot of time and expertise to do these things, time for which I am not recompensed, and I do it when I can because I am passionate about it. 

Confirmation from certain corners that everything I and others have ever done has fallen into the void makes it tougher to keep going, particularly when I hear that funding has been awarded to a project on the basis that we don't exist. To be fair, when folk say there's no criticism, I think they mean unsatisfactory journalism and they don't take notice of even the open access scholarship out there. Still, I feel hurt on behalf of Visual Artists Ireland and other publications and websites and individuals like Bronagh Lawson trying their best to maintain freely available coverage in challenging circumstances and for no payment. I certainly put myself about on the internet and my work is not hard to find, plus it's not all scholarly. A further frustration is that in 2014 after a tough couple of years post-PhD, I got work in England, I met a rather fetching English person (whose mum is from a Welsh border town, so it's not all bad) and I have remained here. I have applied for jobs back home to no avail. As conflicting as it is, I am homesick and have more ideas for books and articles about film and the visual arts there than I can keep up with. But I am here, not there. Now without a job, I am struggling to make a living as a freelancer and am so full of financial anxiety that I can't let myself settle into a book project that may never get published or make any money if it does. From digging around, even if ACNI were to support, say, a podcast series, I would need to be living in NI to be eligible. Equally, if I apply to Arts Council England, the project needs to benefit England. Hello rock, hello hard place. If I start a crowdfunder for a book project, would yous chip in? Likely not because anyone who cares enough is broke. If I apply for jobs, would yous give me one? Well, not so far, and it probably wouldn't give me the headspace I need to do the research and writing if you did. Like the arts in general, critical engagement, whether that be reviews, analysis or history, falls to those who can make the time and expect no payment in return. We need a culture of fair pay for labour, and of recognising that all aspects of arts and culture are work. Until that is addressed, the void will persist, and I'd ask artists to understand that, even if they don't win funding, they are at least eligible to apply where critical writers are not, and until those of us who know and understand and can engage effectively with what you're doing are enabled, there's not a lot we can do. Excluding us in favour of the 'emerging' writer doesn't help either. I mean, if I'm emerging from others' ignorance of my work, does that count? By emerging, do you mean young? What of those of us with knowledge and experience? There aren't even mentoring or editorial positions for us. Is anyone willing to lobby the arts councils to commission publications, podcasts and programmes? I for one am happy to start turning up consistently again if I can make a living from doing so. Until then, I will do what most interests me and I feel I can make the time to do.*

River Lagan, August 2017

*Such as writing for the fantastic Bending Glass on at Havelock House 3-6 March 2022!