SPECIAL GUESTS INCLUDE

Alfie Bown is a Lecturer in Digital Media at Royal Holloway University London. He is a founding editor of 1968 Press and his journalism has appeared in Tribune, New Statesman, Paris Review and the Guardian. His other books include The Playstation Dreamworld and Post-Memes: Seizing the Memes of Production.

Lauren Fueyo is an artist, storyteller, and professional dogma wrestler from Lancaster, PA, USA. Through tragicomic performances, writing, paintings, and short films, Lauren leans on strategies of improvisation to explore questions of how we believe. Her work has been exhibited internationally, most recently at Management (NYC, USA), Konstbunkern (Örebro, Sweden), and Riverside Art Center (IL, USA). Lauren holds an MFA in Sculpture from Tyler School of Art and was a 2019 resident of the Chautauqua School of Art. She is based in Örebro, Sweden.

Henrike Gootjes an artist and regenerative strategist from the Netherlands, holds a Fine Art degree from Minerva, Groningen, and a Master's degree from ArtEZ. With international experience in arts, education, reconciliation, and ecology work, she utilizes artistic methodology to enable regenerative processes and to activate systemic change. Currently working at Art Academies in Arnhem and Zwolle, she is also the curator of Graceland Festival and is writing a book. Gootjes will share artwork inspired by her recent trip to Ukraine, enriching her exploration of the Church of the Contradiction.

Phil Harrison is an author and filmmaker based in Belfast. His debut novel, The First Day, was published internationally in 2017. He has just completed his second. Previously he wrote and directed a number of award-winning short films, including Even Gods (2011) and On Going Home (2015), and a narrative feature drama (The Good Man, 2012), which screened internationally and was released by Soda Pictures in 2014.

Cadell Last is a philosopher with an interdisciplinary background in fields of evolutionary anthropology, psychoanalysis, complexity science and big history. He has established himself as a leading public intellectual through his establishment of Philosophy Portal; a space where people can discuss the most difficult and important philosophical works outside the confines of the academy. He is the author of numerous works, including Systems and Subjects. Cadell’s work is also very complimentary to the work of Pyrotheology.

Teresa Livingstone is a musical comedian and a classy lady, at least she tries to be, despite everything life throws at her as a 40-something Northern Irish woman.One of Northern Ireland’s top comedy acts and a skilled pianist and singer, she recently starred in her own BBC Sounds six-part series Tell Teresa and was previously seen on BBC’s The Blame Game, Soft Border Patrol and Late Licence.

Elliott Morgan is an American stand up comedian, actor, writer, host, producer and YouTube personality. He was a co-host of the YouTube channel SourceFed and is one half of The Fundamentalists.

Julie Reshe is a philosopher, practicing negative psychoanalyst, and public intellectual. She is currently a visiting professor at University College Cork and University College Dublin. She is also a Director of the Institute of Psychoanalysis at the Global Centre for Advanced Studies and author of Negative Psychoanalysis.

Helen Rollins graduated as top student in Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University, with a double first in modern languages. She was also a boursière étrangère at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Lyon. At twenty-two, she taught French language, film and literature at Eton College, leaving that post two years later to work as a filmmaker. In her cinematic work, she explores ideas of desire, repression and loss. She has a particular interest in psychoanalysis, continental philosophy and film and literature from the French and Spanish-speaking world. She is one of the presenters of the theoretically cutting edge podcast The Lack. Although a distant relative, we met for the first time in 2016 and  quickly became very close collaborators, working on various film projects together. The latest is an experimental philosophical documentary called A Guide to Making Love, which will be shown at the festival.

Barry Taylor is a theologian-philosopher, musician, artist, academic and writer who has spent more than thirty years challenging traditional notions of religion and church and creating alternative communities built on the idea that life is uncertain, the future is unwritten and that none of us has the answer. Barry's work collapses the boundaries between the sacred and the profane, blurs the lines between theism and atheism and raises new questions about life, death and everything in between.

Pádraig O Tuama is a poet and theologian whose work centers on themes of language, power, conflict and religion. Pádraig presents Poetry Unbound and was named Theologian in Residence for On Being, in recognition of his work in bringing art and theology into public and civic life. Pádraig has published numerous books and his work is featured widely in places such as Poetry Ireland Review, The Academy of American Poets and On Being. From 2014-2019 he was the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation community.

Duke Special is one of Ireland’s most dynamic, musically ambitious & theatrical musicians. With his inimitable style of beautifully bruised romanticism, Duke Special creates a surreal, vaudeville-esque world that is dark while being infused with hope and joy. Best known for his platinum selling album “Songs from the deep forest,” he has also sung with The Muppets, written and performed the music for Deborah Warner’s critically acclaimed production of Brecht’s Mother Courage at London’s National Theatre, presented a documentary on Ruby Murry and created music for the New York MET's exhibition on the photographers Stieglitz, Steichen, and Strand (which he also performed there).

Adam Turktington heads up Seedhead Arts, an organization that specializes in creative production and training services. He has decades of experience in festival based programming, Street Art, magic, children's workshops and creative industries training. He is a founding member Vault Artists Studios, and was an early influence on the development of Transformance Art.

WAKE | Program

SUNDAY 2ND JUNE

7:00PM | WELCOME PARTY

Let’s start the festival right with a party at the top of the tallest building in Ireland. This is literally the best view of the city, overlooking the famous Belfast cranes.

MONDAY 3RD JUNE

10:30AM | COFFEE AND CONCEPTS | PETER ROLLINS

This is for the early birds. It’s a chance to grab a coffee (I recommend Est or Neighbourhood) and come discuss the cornerstone ideas upon which the Church of the Contradiction is built. Today we explore the idea that Nothing lives.

12PM | STREET ART TOUR | ADAM TURKINGTON

Belfast is a city that is infamous for its graffiti. Throughout The Troubles, walls across the city were emblazoned with murals designed to mark out territory, communicate political messages and spread propaganda. In the aftermath of the violence the city has gradually become home to a new and vibrant wave of street art that takes this part of the city’s history and radically reimagines it. At the heart of this reinvention is Adam Turkington, who has been charged with commissioning many of the most significant works. For Wake veterans Adam needs no introduction, but, for everyone else... Adam has spent decades spearheading some of the most innovative cultural and artistic movements in the city. Adam will be leading a walking tour, which is a great way to get to know the city, and get your bearings. 

1:30PM | LUNCH

2:30PM | ALL THE WAY DOWN | PETER AND HELEN ROLLINS

3:30PM | BREAK

4PM | CCON IN PRACTICE

I recently created a series of three videos that offered a look at what a Church of the Contradiction might look like. In this session we’ll be debuting those videos, and discussing the themes together.

5PM | DINNER

7 | ‘THE PROFANE TEMPLE’ LAUNCH | EVERYDAY ANALYSIS

This will mark the launch of Everyday Analysis’ new pamphlet, which is an essay written by myself on the Church of the Contradiction. This essay is a companion piece to the CCon videos which will be debuting earlier in the day.

8:30PM | DUKE SPECIAL

The Duke is a festival favorite and will be returning to play a set inspired by the theme of Contradiction.

TUESDAY 4TH JUNE

10AM | PICK UP | ST. ANNE’S CATHEDRAL

We’ll be spending the day at the incredible Crawfordsburn Inn.

11AM | COFFEE AND CONCEPTS | PETER ROLLINS

This mornings C&C is on the theme of Nothing Binds

1PM LUNCH

2:30PM | FOREST WALK

3:30PM | BREAK

4PM | ROUND TABLE WITH PHILOSOPHY PORTAL AND EVERYTHING ANALYSIS

5:30PM | PIZZA AT LOAF

7PM | DOCTORED | ELLIOTT MORGAN

Elliott will be doing a standup act that will touch on some of the difficulties he has faced in the last couple of years and will explore themes related to life, death and the absurdity of existence.

8:30PM | BUS TO BELFAST

WEDNESDAY 5TH JUNE

10:30AM | COFFEE AND CONCEPTS | CADELL LAST

For this C&C Cadell Last will be introducing the logic of contradiction.

12PM | BREAK

12:30PM | DESERT IN THE OASIS | PETER AND JULIE RESHE

1:30PM | LUNCH

2:30PM | CONTRADICTION | PADRAIG O TUAMA

We are delighted to welcome Padraig back for an evening of poetry and reflection on what it might mean to affirm the fractures that we are.

5PM | DINNER

7:30PM | THE SECRET PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY

Originally created by Barry Taylor and run for many years in LA, TSP mixes music, art and spoken word to explore a theme. The topic for this event is Comedy. It will be hosted by a special, secret guest and include music from Teresa Livingson, comedy from Elliott Morgan and a conversation between Barry Taylor and Alfie Bown.

8:30PM | TBC

THURSDAY 6TH JUNE

10:30AM | COFFEE AND CONCEPTS | PETER ROLLINS

For the final C&C I’ll be introducing the idea that Nothing Saves.

12PM | BREAK

12:30PM | BEYOND RIGHT AND LEFT | PETER AND PHIL HARRISON

1:30PM | LUNCH

2:30PM | TBC

5PM | DINNER

7PM | THE FUNDAMENTALISTS

This will be a live recording of a Fundamentalists episode where we delve into the theme of contradiction.

9:30PM | PUB CRAWL | VARIOUS

As the tradition goes, every Wake ends with a pub crawl.

FRIDAY 7TH JUNE - BOLT-ON

10:30am | SUPER EXCLUSIVE VIP BREAKFAST

For those who were kind enough to purchase the bolt-on, we’ll be having a home cooked Ulster Fry together, along with fresh orange juice, freshly ground espresso drinks, Mimosas and some small thank you gifts.