Maybe I’m not out there changing people’s views and opening their eyes to the serious problems residing in this city, but I do see myself as more than just a beneficiary of this intense piece. When watching the scenes in this poignant film with landmarks I actually know and walk by everyday, like Derry’s walls, made me realize that I am now a part of this culture. If I should choose to make a difference in this promising place, I know exactly where to find the resources.
Twenty-one years ago musicians on both sides of the sectarian divided wanted to come together for the sake of music alone, so they created the Nerve Center. Initially they bonded to forget about hatred and segregation. But now, with movies like Wasted, the Nerve Center is bringing the hard issues to the forefront. Instead of just providing a diagnosis, the Nerve Center is granting young people the power to develop a cure. By giving the creators of the film an opportunity to develop a plot addressing the downsides of Derry life, they are not only spreading the message to other young people, but it can lead them away from that life as well. While the content of the movie was very important and needed to be addressed, the process alone of taking kids off the street and giving them another outlet is promising for Derry’s future. I strongly support this idea of giving people skills will help lead them away from a downward spiral towards sectarianism and towards a promising future.
The founder of the Playhouse theater in Derry spoke to us after John’s presentation. Pauline Ross graduated from college in her late thirties with two kids and eventually realized her dream of connecting the people of Northern Ireland through the arts. I was so inspired by her story, which Casey confirmed by telling me that she could see my face lit up during Pauline’s entire appearance. My favorite was when she said, “Artists will never start a war.” As an avid crafter, I would like to say that I’m part of that category. I love that organizations like the Playhouse and the Nerve Center give an alternative to conflict. I am proud to be linked to something that acts as an escape from the Troubles, even though you can also tackle conflict head on as well. Pauline mentioned a play that really dug into the issues of the Troubles, which could spark dialogue. It’s nice to be able to forget about the hostility of the sectarian conflict, but at some point it needs to be addressed in order to improve it.
I was intrigued by the Playhouse’s commitment to abating sectarian hostility through unbiased means. For this reason, Casey and I ventured over there to interview two of our fellow Bucknell students on Tuesday. Jameson and Christine work at the Playhouse, so we decided to record their impressions of their placement. We certainly had a rollicking good time going through the eccentricities of the interview process, but more than that, I started to understand further how important our two organizations are in providing alternatives to sectarian divisions. The Playhouse has moved to a temporary location while a huge renovation is carried out at their usual place on Artillery Street. This goes to show that the community is willing to support something that continues to fulfill its mission of creating a third party in the conflict. The current location is kind of a broken-down, vintage theatre just within the walls. Even though the physical aspects of the building were eery and covered in a layer of dust, I could sense auras of inspiration and optimism. Just by videotaping inside the walls of the Playhouse, I can spread its message and impact to so many places. My field placement at the Nerve Center has taught me this. The Nerve Center can change lives through the content of their projects, but also through the sheer process of escaping through developing technological skills.
The process of these two organizations, the Nerve Center and the Playhouse, reminds me of the experimental method. They both generated a hypothesis that they could improve the condition of the their country and developed a formula to enact it. Both have changed over their lifetime by testing and modifying what works and what does not. This analogy led me to a comparison between Northern Ireland’s history and the song “Winding Road” by Bonnie Somerville. I think the idea of looking towards new ways to escape pain, in this case the sectarian conflict, is embodied in the chorus (the music to my slideshow):
It’s a winding road / I’ve been walking for a long time / I still don’t know where it goes / It’s a long way home / I’ve been searching for a long time / I still have hope I’m gonna find my way home
The narrator clearly started off in a period of distress, which led her to search for a way home, probably a place with more tranquility than she feels now. For the past few centuries Northern Ireland has followed this winding road. Recently they have found ways to progress from the chaos of the past, but there is still no clear endpoint in sight. They are still looking and still hoping that the people of the country can find their way home.
