Practices of Peace
The ways in which international conflicts find space in our daily lives has changed over the past fifty years. New ways of envisioning and practicing peace need to be considered. Looking back, but thinking forward, Practices of Peace want to reflect on peace in the context of communities and collaborative action.
Practices of Peace surrounds the relationship between community and pacifism, memories and representation of war and peace. The weekend will encourage you to consider the impact of peace and conflict in the local, national and international context including and beyond The Great War.
Join in with Practices of Peace for two days of discussion, collaboration, research and understanding.
Sat 18 November 2017
Venue: Brander Building
10:00 Simon H. Walker, PhD: WW1 Practices of Pacifism across Britain
10:45 Val Ross: Huntly’s WW1 Pacifists
11:30 White Wood walk, lunch and remembrance
In the centenary of WW1, Caroline Wendling, with the community of Huntly, planted the White Wood, a living monument to peace, providing a regenerative alternative to the nostalgic memorials across the world.
In collaboration with Al Nofara Café and Caroline Wendling
15:00 Cornelia Offergeld: Curating Peace
16:00 Claudia Zeiske and Stuart McAdam: Travelling and commemorating post-war Europe
Discussion: How do we and how can we commemorate?
18:00 Peacemakers' Night with Rachel Ashton
Venue: Pensioners' Hall, Church Street
Food, Music and Dance
Sun 19 November 2017
10:00 – 15:00 Walk in Cabrach
The Cabrach is a unique and beautiful location rich in cultural heritage, its landscape typified by the many ruined crofts and steadings, which today haunt this upland plateau. At the turn of the 19th century it had a thriving community of around 1000 people, but after The Great War, the local population was severely decimated and historians have called the Cabrach: ‘The biggest war memorial in Europe’.
Meet: Huntly Square for bus (£5); walk approximately 4 hours
Bring good footwear and packed lunch
Al Nofara is a food-inspired project addressing conflict and climate issues with Syrian New Scots in Huntly.
Rachel Ashton is an artist who is currently undertaking Walking without Walls, an international dialogue about peace and friendship with Gaza based artist May Murad.
Stuart McAdam is an artist who has cycled along the trenches of the western front of WW1 in search of finding out how we commemorate such events and how they influence politics.
Cornelia Offergeld, art historian and writer has curated numerous exhibitions and projects in public space. Based in Vienna, she has worked for several institutions to include the Free Institute Moscow and is the founding curator of the peace museum Erlauf Erinnert, combining the themes of peace and war, remembrance, and art.
Val Ross is a teacher of English at Huntly’s Gordon Schools who has undertaken extensive research on war victims – soldiers and pacifists - in Huntly during WW1.
Simon H. Walker is a PhD candidate at the University of Strathclyde. Simon’s research deals with histories of The Great War.
Caroline Wendling is the artist who has created White Wood with the community of Huntly.
Claudia Zeiske is the Director of Deveron Projects, who has recently walked from Huntly to Munich as a reaction to the Brexit movement in Britain. Along the way she met bunkers, war memorials, cities, towns and people that were affected by past and current wars in Europe.