Lived Lives: from Tory Island to Swift’s Asylum

Suicide is the leading cause of death of young adults in Ireland and the UK and it is cloaked in stigma and shame. The voices of marginalised people in rural communities and psychiatric communities are often disregarded when it comes to suicide.

We will address the stigma of suicide in a safe space by restoring identity to people who have died by suicide by acknowledging their loss in a non-judgmental and compassionate setting. We will address stigma through co-collaboration, engagement, dialogue and action. Interactive lectures, mediated exhibitions and an international interdisciplinary symposium of artists, scientists and communities will engage the public with suicide and the transformative effect it has in these rural communities. 

We will disseminate the work to inspire collaborations between art and science about topics that deal with loss and identity, where validation is overlooked or eclipsed by the silence of stigma.