💐 We are feeling very nourished after spending a week with curator Elham Puriya Mehr during her curatorial residency at Void Art Centre exploring the coffeehouse culture of Derry city.

Elham spent her time in the city researching in the Central Library, meeting those working in local cafĂ©s such as our neighbours at The Coffee Tree and chatting to local researchers, archivists and historians about the past, present and future of Derry coffeehouses đŸ€

At the beginning and end of her residency, Elham invited local inhabitants to gather for coffee, conversation, and collaboration in mapping the city’s coffeehouses through personal stories and memories ☕ The second of these events was held at Offing Coffee, where we discussed cafĂ©s that no longer exist in the city, alternative ways of sustaining a business in precarious times and how cafĂ©s can act as a space for communal sharing and dialogue.

💌 With thanks to: Stephanie Bradley at Offing CafĂ©; Adriana Valderrama Lopez; Martha McCulloch; Gail Mahon; Damien Duffy; Gregory McCartney; Bernadette Walsh, Caoimhe Stones, Sean Beattie, Catherine Hemelryk, and Neil Doherty.

Elham’s residency was supported by the Art Abroad grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and Void Art Centre.