Pallas Projects are pleased to present Conan McIvor—The Estate as our final Artist-Initiated Project of 2024.

The Estate is an immersive virtual game experience that draws on elements of visual installation, theatre, social media, pop culture, music and dance in exploring the ideas and values surrounding young working class men in Belfast growing up during the pandemic period, specifically notions of masculinity, body image, emotional relationships, and attitudes to sexuality and gender.

The work was created in Unreal Engine 4 with the aim of engaging a young male working class audience - an often overlooked demographic in the arts. The focus of the project sought to give voice to their concerns and experiences and presented in colloquial language native to them, i.e. a video game installation – think Grand Theft Auto meets Dublin Oldschool.

Conan McIvor is a Multidisciplinary Artist & Director who tells stories across Cinema, Theatre and Visual Art. He creates fiction, documentary and experimental films, video installations, immersive environments and live performance. His work has been exhibited in galleries, festivals, national theatres, cinemas, broadcast on national television and held in the Arts Council Northern Ireland collection. Conan studied Interactive Multimedia Design at Ulster University before receiving an MA in Film and Visual Studies from Queen’s University Belfast during which he was awarded NI Screen’s Bill Miskelly Award. Most recently, Conan received a certificate in Storytelling for the Metaverse from the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.