SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

A residency in the University of Galway’s Gaoth Dobhair Centre in 2022–23 allowed Glasgow visual artist Christina McBride to explore the natural and built environment of her mother’s homeplace in nearby Bun an Inbhir in a series of analogue photographs developed using local fauna and peatland materials. McBride’s residency in Donegal and the resulting exhibition, Críocha an Chroí / Heartland—was made possible by a partnership involving the University, Údarás na Gaeltachta, Ealaín na Gaeltachta and the Regional Cultural Centre in Letterkenny. In autumn 2023, a second exhibition, Thall Udaí / Over By, focusing on the people of the place, was mounted in Sean-Scoil Bhun an Inbhir and a third is planned for Glasgow in 2024.

We may not associate SDGs with culture, but the UN’s 2030 Agenda acknowledges the need to safeguard the world’s diverse cultural heritages, and the role of culture in fostering a collective sense of responsibility and belonging. Award-winning writer and singer, Prof Lillis Ó Laoire asks: how can we steward our cultural heritages to realign them with sustainable futures?