Ashab Ahmad is a new researcher about to commence a PhD at the Magee campus of Ulster University with a project entitled: Processes and legacies of artistic self-historicisation: curating, documenting and preserving Derry’s Arts Centres activities since the 1970s. This project is in collaboration with Void Art Centre and will be concerned with a survey of archival material relating to Derry’s art centres.
Ashab said: “Hello everyone, I am Ashab, a new researcher about to commence my PhD at Ulster University’s Derry/Londonderry campus in collaboration with Void Art Centre. The PhD project that I will be undertaking is entitled: Processes and Legacies of artistic self-historicization: Curating, documenting and preserving Derry’s Arts Centres activities since the 1970’s. This is centred around a survey of the archives at Void which includes material from the Orchard Gallery, Context Gallery, DaDA, as well as other local artistic activity. Through my work, I hope to contextualise the institutional histories of these art centres and interrogate the implications of the specific archival mechanisms that were used.
I am originally from Bangladesh and have spent the last seven years in St Andrews, Scotland. I completed my undergraduate degree in Art History and my masters degree in Museum and Gallery Studies at the University of St Andrews. After completing my previous university studies, I worked as the Project Outreach Officer at the St Andrews Heritage Museum and Garden for the last two years.”
This PhD project coincides with Void’s aim to become an art research centre and we look forward to working with Ashab.
Void Art Centre is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Future Screens NI, Garfield Weston Foundation, Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, the Henry Moore Foundation, Northbound Brewery and Ulster University.
This project aligns with the 175th anniversary celebrations for the Belfast School of Art – with partnerships forming one of the core themes of the birthday celebrations.
The Belfast School of Art is the oldest provider of design education on the island of Ireland as well as being one of the oldest creative art schools in the UK. 2024 marks its 175th anniversary.
