Marking Time: ArtsEkta at 20 brings together monthly reflections on the projects, people, and moments that have shaped ArtsEkta over the last twenty years — exploring creativity as a force for connection in a post-conflict and evolving society.

Over the past twenty years, Artsekta’s work has increasingly moved beyond traditional venues and into the streets, squares, and shared spaces of the city.

This shift was not accidental.

It came from a recognition that if we are to build a more inclusive and connected society, then culture must be visible — not just in galleries or theatres, but in the everyday spaces people move through and share.

Public space matters. It reflects who belongs.

Through large-scale outdoor spectacles, Artsekta has worked to reshape these spaces — creating moments where diversity is not only present, but central.

One of the early steps in this journey was Spellbound, which brought stories from the Indian epic Ramayana into outdoor public space through dance, shadow puppetry, and large-scale visual storytelling. It marked an important shift — taking cultural narratives beyond traditional venues and inviting wider audiences to experience them in shared, open environments.

This ambition grew with Nine Nights, staged in 2015. Bringing together over a thousand performers in Belfast city centre, the production transformed the streets into a vibrant celebration inspired by the Indian festival of Diwali. It was one of the largest outdoor theatre events the city had seen, and a powerful moment of visibility for cultures that had rarely been represented at that scale.

Following this, Artsekta continued to develop large-scale outdoor work that explored culture, identity, and shared experience in different ways. Projects such as Kali brought powerful visual storytelling into public space, drawing on mythology and movement to create striking moments of reflection and visibility. Through initiatives like Luminate and Belfast Equinox, the city itself became a stage — with light, fire, and performance transforming familiar places into spaces of encounter and connection.

More recently, Artsekta played a key role in bringing Little Amal to Belfast — a 12-foot puppet of a young Syrian refugee whose journey across the world has become a symbol of migration and human rights. Welcomed by thousands across the city, Amal’s visit created a powerful collective moment of reflection, connection, and compassion.

What connects all of these projects is not just their scale, but their intention.

They place culture in public view.
They invite participation rather than observation.
And they create shared experiences that cut across boundaries of background, identity, and experience.

In doing so, they challenge assumptions about who public space is for — and who gets to be visible within it.

For many participants, these moments are transformative. Taking part in a large-scale public spectacle can be a powerful act of confidence and expression. For audiences, encountering these works in familiar spaces can shift perceptions — opening up new ways of seeing the city and the people within it.

Over time, this work has contributed to a broader cultural shift.

Belfast is becoming a more diverse city, and its public spaces are beginning to reflect that change. Through creativity, Artsekta has helped shape spaces where diversity is not hidden or peripheral, but celebrated as part of a shared civic identity.

Looking back, these projects represent an important expansion of Artsekta’s work — from creating programmes and festivals to actively shaping the cultural life of the city itself.

They also point forward.

As we continue to mark 20 years of Artsekta, this work in public space is leading toward the future — including a new anniversary spectacle as part of Belfast Mela, bringing together artists and communities once again to create a shared moment in the heart of the city.

Because ultimately, this work is about more than performance.

It is about creating a city where everyone can see themselves — and each other — reflected in the spaces we share.

Pictured is outdoor spectacle Nine Nights co-produced by Artsekta and Walk the Plank in 2015 and supported by Belfast City Council and Arts Council of Northern Ireland