Still, the exceptional circumstances meant that, when it came to selecting a winner, there was greater emphasis than usual upon the exhibition. In the words of its lead curator, Hammad Nasar, how would the collectives, some of whom had never appeared in a gallery, “use” the “platform” of the Turner Prize? I hate to keep knocking Gentle/Radical, who are, no doubt, a force for good in their own neighbourhood, but their presentation was one of the dullest things I’ve ever encountered. I was nervous the jury would decide, perversely, to double down, and give them the prize to make a polemical point.
By contrast, Array, who are not widely known outside, as they put it, “the North of Ireland”, where they campaign for issues, such as abortion rights, which affect themselves and those they consider “allies”, put in a proper shift. At one end of their designated gallery, beyond a field of flagpoles, they constructed a low-slung structure with a homespun, cosy interior recreating a “sibin” (an illicit, unlicensed Irish bar or club). This became the setting for a madcap knees-up they call “the Druthaib’s Ball”: “a celebration of life and death,” they explained, “[and] a wake for the centenary of Ireland’s partition”.
Array’s installation is extremely effective at evoking the smoky, banter-filled atmosphere of a yesteryear boozer: there are crisp packets and ashtrays on round tables, while, arranged on shelves against retro wallpaper, knick-knacks and memorabilia evoke some of the causes the collective has supported, as does an overhead canopy of hand-stitched banners once held aloft at protest marches. The whole engaging, Rabelaisian ensemble is like a stage set from a Jez Butterworth’s play.
Unlike some of the nominees, you see, Array aren’t po-faced or sanctimonious: rather, as Farquharson tells me, they “turn political demonstrations into amazing carnivalesque performances, while dealing with very serious issues in a place with a divided history” – which is why, in the end, they won. You may disagree with their views, but I suspect you’d have a fine old time with any of Array’s members in the pub.
