May 13, 2024
Earlier this year the NI Cancer Research Consumer Forum was awarded support from Macmillan to commission an artistic work to celebrate World Cancer Day.
The Forum was established in 2011 and has grown to a group of nearly 50 patients and carers affected by cancer. Its purpose is to promote partnership in research, using their precious hands-on knowledge to enhance research, and thereby help to improve the healthcare and benefit to patients.
We started our project by bringing together three different groups of Forum members, along with researchers, nurses, clinicians, and other health professionals. Over the three days with these groups we gathered really fabulous stories, words, phrases and experiences of what cancer meant to each of them, “Through Their Eyes”.
These were extraordinary gatherings – with numerous emotional moments; the painful recounting of difficult memories; and much honest sharing of many humbling experiences – as well as a good smattering of humour and talking about silver linings.
The Forum is delighted to have amongst its ranks, the well-known storyteller and wordsmith Liz Weir. From these discussions, Liz, along with Clara our choreographer, collated a huge bank of phrases, anecdotes and snippets that created the building blocks and inspiration for the dance piece.
We were so thrilled that the musician and composer Keith Acheson, was willing to get involved. Keith is also the Music Director of the Sing for Life Choir, which is made up of people affected by cancer. He composed an original score for the choir, especially for our dance piece, to celebrate World Cancer Day.
Our choreographer, Clara Kerr, devised a beautiful piece, in the company of her group of outrageously talented dancers: Gerard Headley, Clara Kerr, Michael McEvoy, Hannah Scully.
The piece was performed at the launch of the Cancer: Through our Eyes exhibition at which we also exhibited photographs taken by Macey Stewart that reflected the creation of “Silver Linings”.
The piece has subsequently been performed at the Creative Holywood Festival and editing is currently underway for its release as a film.
