Gathering 2026
Bbeyond is delighted to announce that we has secured 1 year funding from both the Northern Ireland Office’ to develop a NI-GB Performance Art Network, and Dormont Accounts, to help develop the infrastructure of the organisation.
We celebrate 18 years of performance art monthly's at the summer Solstice in Tipperary with Live Art Ireland, Tipperary; Xchange, Dublin; Fite Faulte, Galway and P(art)y Here and Now, Clare. Through the funding we not only link with our North, South connections but also our East West ones.
Our first kick off event is in Liverpool at Bidstone Observatory Art Research Centre organised by Performance Platform, London where 10 Bbeyond members that live in Northern Ireland will connect with 15 arts/organizers around GB for the weekend.
New Commission Artists: Elaine McGinn , Sorcha Keeve and Christine Donaghy will be performing at the event.
Other people can attend the Gathering on a daily basis to connect with workshops talks presentations and performances. The venue has limited disabled access apart from the ground floor.
It is a mark of respect to the longevity's of Bbeyond as an organisation that Ian Whitford and Rebecca Weeks, Performance Platform, London specifically asked for workshops from Alastair MacLennan and James King and a presentation from Brian Patterson who has a constant visible presence in Bbeyond since inception.
The other partners in this year long series of East West Connections are Tactile Bosch, Wales , Dr Sandra Johnston, Lecturer at Belfast School of Art, and Head of Fine Art at the University of Creative Arts Canterbury, Greig Burgoyne.
Tactile Bosch are celebrating 25 years of existence in 2026 and Bbeyond will connect into some of those events as well as bringing some Welsh performance artist's to Belfast.
Other aspects of the program are still emerging and will be announced in due course.
Gathering 2026
A Celebration of Performance Artist Led Culture
Saturday 27 - Sunday 28 June 2026
Bidston Obseratory, Bidston Hill, Wirrel, Merseyside, CH43 7RA
Free to attend, meals and refreshments provided
Gathering 2026 was commissioned by Bbeyond, with Performance Platform managing organisation and operations.
Performance art workshops led by Bbeyond members Alastair MacLennan, and James King and Brian Patterson.
Presentations by artist/organisers Dr Veronica Cordova de la Rosa, LAPER; Dyana Gravina, Procreate/IKLETIC Art Lab; Brian Patterson, Bbeyond, and Pierce Starre, SPILL YER TEA.
For more information visit the Performance Platform website here
Gathering showcases and supports the work of artist/organisers through: presentations, workshops, performances, a collective performance jam, and informal networking.
Gathering is a celebration and a consolidation of performance artist-led culture, grounded in discourse and embodied practice incorporating projects, organisations, relationships, expanding networks, potentials, intergenerational dialogue and learning.
Free tickets are available for all activities, subject to limited capacity and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
This event provides rare opportunities to learn about historic and current artist-led activity, to witness, to experience, to create, to network, to be embodied, and contribute to a welcoming intergenerational creative community.
Funders and partner organisations
