Teaching Spectacle: The Cultural Relevance of a Global Phenomenon

Abstract

After 30 years of deadly sectarian violence in Northern Ireland known as “the Troubles” (1969-1998), the British nonprofit Artichoke decided to build a church-like, non-denominational structure aimed at healing the pain that Protestants and Catholics had inflicted up on each other. The “Temple” was built at Kelly’s Field, a former scene of violence, located between the Catholic and the Protestant cathedrals in Derry. Architect David Best designed the structure, the construction of which was carried out by local Catholics and Protestants working collaboratively. This work of art, “built to burn; designed to heal” (Artichoke, “Temple”), was visited by over 60,000 members of the two traumatized communities. At the “Temple,” visitors left messages in honor of loved ones lost during the Troubles.