Hugh Lane Gallery and Create present ‘Salmagundi’, a collaborative arts project

Hugh Lane Gallery, part of Dublin City Council and Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts, proudly present Salmagundi, a collaborative art project led by filmmaker Jijo Sebastian.

This unique project captures the journey of the Salmagundi community – a newly formed, transcultural community born from shared creativity, storytelling and connection. Presented as both a feature-length film and process room installation at Hugh Lane Gallery, the project invites viewers into the lived experience of this vibrant group of people from over 14 different nationalities. 

A commission of €50,000 was created by Hugh Lane Gallery and Create as part of their commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in the arts.   In 2022, they sent out an open call inviting submissions from artists of minority ethnic backgrounds and/or those with lived experience of displacement and/or are shaped by histories of intergenerational migration. Filmmaker Jijo Sebastian was awarded the commission for his proposal to foster transcultural understanding, community building and the exploration of the complexities of migrant identities through a collaborative filmmaking process. 

Jijo Sebastian said: “Project Salmagundi has been a challenging, self-revealing and transformational experience for me. It has activated in me a process of reframing my practice as a socially engaged filmmaker.”

Under the name Salmagundi, a diverse group of individuals, many without prior experience in filmmaking, came together through an open call to develop, write and perform a feature-length film. Comprising six interwoven stories, the film reflects themes and issues central to the participants’ lived experience, celebrating a collective voice that underscores the power of community across cultures. 

The Salmagundi members forged a community that extends beyond the project and is set to continue as a space for creative and social engagement; with participants gathering regularly for shared meals, trips together to cultural events, the beach, bowling, and the theatre. 

The collaborative Salmagundi film will be on view at the Hugh Lane Gallery accompanied by a process room that documents the group’s journey through the highs and lows of making collaborative art and the challenges of trying to build an authentically transcultural community.

Film and Process Room on display at Hugh Lane Gallery until 5 January 2025. 

Film Screening Times Salmagundi Wednesdays 1pm and Sundays 1pm, Children’s Film Screening: Free4aDay Saturdays 1pm (excl 9 November)

Admission Free. For further details of the project please see https://hughlane.ie/whats_on/salamagundi_the_project/ 

Jijo Sebastian will give a talk on The Salmagundi Project on Thursday, November 14, at 6:30 pm (free admission) and a Coffee Conversation on Wednesday 4 December 2024 (€5 incl tea/coffee) sharing insights on the project’s impact and the significance of creative community-building.