The Nature of Distance Exhibition, University of Glasgow ARC

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The Nature of Distance Exhibition, University of Glasgow ARC

27 – 31 January, 2025

Atrium, Advanced Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow G11 6EW

As with any start to a new year there is an unspoken universal rule to look ahead, to visualize and plan in hope for change, new memories and adventure. Yet, many of us are bound to the past, to the feelings of nostalgia and loss making it difficult to completely delve into the new.

In April 2023, a proxy war broke out in the capital city of Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forced and a parliamentary faction, the Rapid Support Forces. Caught in the crossfire were civilians who quickly fled to safety outside of the city, taking with them little. They believed that they would be returning shortly but found themselves in states of migration for longer than planned as fighting spread to major parts of the country. Similar to the 2018-9 revolution, social media platforms became pivotal in revealing what was happening on the ground, amplifying calls to an end to violence and showing solidarity. It has also been used to share different narratives of resistance especially through art, documenting journeys of migration and sharing personal archives.

The Nature of Distance observes this thread of identity, grief and resistance as it intersects with filmmaking and social media. This two-part event showcases the creative ways the Sudanese diaspora have used digital media platforms and filmmaking/content creation to reflect on their memories, positionality and share their own story in reaction to periods of conflict in Sudan.

From 27th until 31st January 2025, there will be an exhibition showcasing moving images by Sudanese digital creators at the Advanced Research Centre (ARC), University of Glasgow.

Screening of Documentary My Sister, Sara – 29 January, 2025

On the evening of 29th January, there will be a film screening and Q&A will take place bringing together Sudanese digital creators’ work alongside the short documentary My Sister, Sara.

This event is presented by ‘Thinking Culture’, a cultural programme from the School of Culture & Creative Arts, in collaboration with the Advanced Research Centre’s CinemARC programme.

This project is supported by Thinking Culture funding 2024-25, awarded to PhD researcher Umloda Ibrahim.

Free Event

Cover image by Ahmed Nogoud.

The title of this event was inspired by Bentley Brown’s essay ‘Sudan’s “Diaspora” Dilemma’ in the ‘Routleledge Handbook on Arab Cinema’