Bridging Arts and Sustainability at Queen¡¯s with Reach¡¯26 Festival
°Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï Reach '26 Festival Aims to explore environmental issues through arts.
Queen’s University Belfast’s Arts and Sustainability Festival, Reach’26, returns for its third year, with a week-long programme of creative events exploring climate action, ecology and environmental performance, taking place across the campus, from 15 – 22 April.
The festival unites artists, researchers, students and local communities to examine how the arts can put a spotlight on the challenges of a rapidly changing planet.
Reach’26 will feature film screenings, sound performances, exhibitions, workshops, family activities, and panel discussions, including events ranging from subaquatic soundscapes recorded on the River Lagan and experimental environmental documentaries to hands?on sessions in upcycling, repair culture and sustainable design.
The festival will also include guided sustainability tours, a children’s choir performance and the launch of AVANT GARDENER at the Naughton Gallery, an exhibition showcasing local and international artists reimagining our relationship with nature in an age shaped by climate anxiety and ecological awakening.
Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ian Greer said:
“The Reach 26 Festival is an innovative and important way to help people think about the environmental climate issues that we face and to do that through artistic media such as music, film and painting.
“Queen’s is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and this unique festival enables us to promote a culture of environmental responsibility and sustainability.
“By utilising art and science and reaching out to the wider community, we hope to improve understanding and empowerment when it comes to tackling the complex issues of global climate issues.”
The programme has been developed in partnership with Queen’s Sustainability Team, the Naughton Gallery, Queen’s Film Theatre, the Seamus Heaney Centre, CaptureLab, and contributors to the Sonorities ‘Climate | Sound | Action’ series, alongside academic experts from across the region.
The Festival’s final day coincides with World Environment Day, marked by the Earth Day Conference and the illumination of the Lanyon Building in green as a symbol of Queen’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
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For further information contact Colm Heatley at c.heatley@qub.ac.uk