ALASTAIR MACLENNAN [SCO]

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Alastair MacLennan represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale, with inter-media work commemorating the names of all those who died as a result of the Political Troubles in Northern Ireland, from 1969 to then date (1997). During the '70's and '80's he made some long, non-stop performances in Britain, America and Canada, of up to 144 hours duration. Subject matter dealt with political, social and cultural malfunction. Since 1975 he's been based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and was a founding member of Belfast's Art and Research Exchange (1978). Since 1975 he taught at Ulster Polytechnic, later, the University of Ulster, where for eleven years he ran the Master of Arts (MA) Fine Art program. Currently he travels in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, North America and Canada, presenting Actuations (performance/installations). Since 1989 he's been a member of the performance art entity, Black Market International, which performs globally. He is presently an Emeritus Professor of Fine Art from the University of Ulster, Belfast, Northern Ireland, an Honorary Fellow of (former) Dartington College of Arts, Devon, England, an Honorary Associate of the (former) National Review of Live Art, Glasgow, Scotland and was recently awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws, from the University of Dundee, in Scotland and is a founding member of Belfast's Bbeyond Performance Art organisation.

He's said:

" Art is the demonstrated wish and will 'towards' resolving inner and outer conflict, be it spiritual, religious, political, personal, social, cultural...or any interfusion of these".

"As well as ecology of natural environment, there's ecology of mind and spirit, each an integrated aspect of the 'other'. Our challenge today is to live this integration. Already we're late. Time we have is not so vital as time we 'make'. "

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