Welcome to Ensemble Colours: a city-wide project between Prime Cut Productions and eleven Community Groups across Greater Belfast, utilising a variety of art forms including Drama, Creative Writing, Visual Art and Digital Art to promote Cultural Expression and Good Relations.

Supported through The Executive Office Central Good Relations Fund the project aimed to explore cultural diversity across the city through the lens of a common theme. In 2020-21, the theme was Colours – specifically, the impact of colour on our lives, both on an individual and societal level. 

When planning the project, we had wanted to explore how colour has such a huge influence on many aspects of our lives including politics, race and gender. We wanted to explore how specific colours can have often diametrically opposing meanings, depending on who you are or where you come from – a colour that can mean solidarity and comfort for one individual, can spell danger to another. Through these explorations in ongoing live workshops across the city, the project would culminate in a public showcase inspired and informed by the participants experiences, opinions and ideas.

And then the Pandemic happened. Some groups had to drop out, others came on board, some live workshops were able to happen, many more went digital, but the work went on, with over 150 participants engaging on a weekly basis. Huge credit must go to our participants, partner groups and artists, who adapted, showed resilience and perseverance beyond measure and kept the project going. Massive thanks also to our funders and especially Michael Withers, who kept the faith and ensured that we were thoroughly supported throughout.

And we really hoped against hope that the planned live interactive installation at the Golden Thread Gallery would happen, but as restrictions were extended and then extended further eventually in January 21, we had to make the decision to go digital. The result is this website and while it is the culmination of Ensemble Colours, we hope it is also the start of a new platform to showcase our work on for many years to come. 

Throughout this project, we have been privileged to have met many amazing new people, heard so many beautiful, life affirming stories, shared, learned and created. Welcome to Ensemble Colours.