Steafán Hanvey says "Look Behind You"

Panel Discussion: 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 15, Rosenfield Center Room 101
Concert: 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, Sebring-Lewis Hall

Northern Irish singer/songwriter Steafán Hanvey’s music examines family, art, and Ireland. In his multimedia concert "Look Behind You," he tells the story of how a father and son negotiated the personal and political landscapes of Northern Ireland during "The Troubles" and afterward.

Hanvey is also participating in a related panel on “Memory, Identity and Armed Conflict” with Grinnell faculty members Brigittine French and Doug Caulkins (anthropology) and Shuchi Kapila (English).

The events are open to the public at no charge, and no tickets are required.

“Look Behind You!” showcases Hanvey’s songs and stories alongside the photographs of his father, Bobbie Hanvey, whose work documenting Irish history since the 1970s has been compared to Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange.

In a National Public Radio documentary about “Look Behind You!,” reporter Cobun Dukehart noted, “The role of an artist in society can be complicated; and when society itself is complicated — as it has been in Northern Ireland for many years — then the artist's role can be even harder to define. Steafán Hanvey is looking back at his father's legacy, and examining how creating art in a time of conflict influences both the art and the artist.”

Hanvey’s October 14-15 visit to Grinnell is sponsored by the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.