Institute for Conflict Research: The Recycling of Venus

The Recycling of Venus is a collaboration between Belfast’s Institute for Conflict Research and artist Rita Duffy. The banner is an interpretation of Botticelli's Birth of Venus for an age where women are living with environmental uncertainty within the context of increased economic and social independence and stability. ICR brought 40 women from different backgrounds, ages and locations together. The Zephyrus and Aura characters in their banner are in their mid-80s and their Venus is living with terminal cancer and passed away in August 2018. In collaboration with the ICR’s photographer Mariusz Smiejek, the group devised the content of the banner to include images of economic, domestic and public symbols of their gendered experiences of the advancements in their educational, employment, reproductive and domestic circumstances. The art workshops with Rita Duffy were undertaken at National Trust’s Mount Stewart property, which was chosen due to Edith, Lady Londonderry’s historical connection to the subject matter and the property’s legacy which resonated with the ICR’s programme participants, many of whom lived or had worked in the area and are committed to environmental and maritime conservation. The finished banner complements and subverts Botticelli’s original painting.

The Institute for Conflict Research is an organisation which specialises in working on issues related to conflict, human rights, social transformation and social justice. It is an independent not for profit company limited by guarantee with charitable status and managed by a board of directors drawn from the community, voluntary and academic sectors.