Peace in Mind – The 100 Project | Beyond Skin

A woman holding envelopes | NICRC

100 pieces of art by 100 women will be book bound by a Belfast artist and stored for 100 years.

The 100 Project was created by Beyond Skin, and was supported by Community Relations Council. It formed part of Beyond Skin's Peace in Mind project, which uses The Arts to explore mental health and peaceful communities.

Handcrafted and sustainable

The 100 pieces of art created by 100 women is to be bound into a book by Belfast-based artist Wilhelmina Peace, handcrafted with sustainable and ethically sourced materials, and placed in a time capsule for 100 years.

After travelling through all six counties, the book will be planted in Northern Ireland.

“The women who are part of this project have very different backgrounds, are of all different ages and come from contrasting points of view,” said Kerry Anderson, Beyond Skin. “This incredible spectrum of life experience is what makes this project so powerful and unique.”

The women’s goal is to express their connection to the land and life in Northern Ireland.

“At this project’s time of conception, we are in a difficult time concerning the global pandemic and within Northern Ireland specifically there are visible tensions politically, socially and economically,” Kerry said. “The idea of 100 pieces stemmed from the centenary of Northern Ireland, however we understand that not all participants may celebrate this occasion. Therefore, The 100 Project is directed towards all women feeling a sense of self-belonging and carrying forward a message of hope and acceptance for the future.”

Connected to Northern Ireland

The project was launched in conjunction with International Women’s Day on 8 March 2021.

All the women taking part in this project are connected to Northern Ireland, whether through birth or as their adoptive land.

Kerry said: “This project is therefore a starting point for bridging gaps in our society to reconcile and build a better world, challenging structures and stereotypes.”

Passion and strength

Online workshops were key to the project. They were led by Cony Ortiz, Tessa Ann, Orla Hasson and Charo Lanao, and explored themes of identity and creativity.

Kerry said: “These workshops rooted the importance of connection and gratitude with our ancestors and helped the women with insight on how to send forward a message of hope for the people of the future who may open this time capsule.”

A writing workshop also accompanied the project and a curated online space has been created for women to share their writing and poetry.

“This project has truly taken on a life of its own and has provided a way for women to express themselves and to feel appreciated and honoured in this land,” Kerry said. “We hope that when the book is unveiled in 100 years that the issues we face now with gender discrimination, racism, sectarianism and the climate crisis will no longer exist.”

Find out more about Peace in Mind – The 100 Project