Belfast city centre

We Want A Free Future

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An ad from Big Brother Watch has been playing on Clear Channel advertising displays in malls and shopping centres across the north. The billboards have been criticised by Stewart Dickson and Danny Donnelly of Alliance; Paul Givan of the DUP called the passport programme – which came into effect yesterday – “divisive and rushed” (BBC) after it was approved on the 17th (BBC). A rally was held outside City Hall on the 20th to protest the programme (Belfast Live). Hospitality interest-groups are against the passports (BelTel).

The three panels of the ad are presented here in (what is probably) the reverse of their intended order: They want a checkpoint society – We want a free future – stopvaccinepassports.co.uk.

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About Bloody Time

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The original version of this mural by Dublin artist Wee Nuls (ig | web) was beside Transport House but it was painted over almost immediately (you can see it on Twitter). This new version, at Artcetera (formerly the Red Barn Gallery), is auto-redacted with historical commentary: “You can censor the art … but not the movement”, the movement being for “free period items” in public spaces beyond schools, spearheaded by Homeless Period Belfast. In November, 2020, Scotland became the first country in the world to offer free period products (BBC). In October of this year, Pat Catney (SDLP) in the NI Assembly introduced a ‘period poverty’ bill to expand the availability of menstrual products (BelTel); the ‘Call For Views’ period commenced on Wednesday and ends on December 18th – have your say via NIAssembly.

Wee Nuls also has another piece on this wall: Medusa. The ‘period’ mural is next to Leo Boyd’s ice-cream PSNI land-rover – which started life as Freshly Made For You! (see also Winding Up The Peelers).

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Covid-Era Canvases

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A tribute to the NHS on a vinyl sticker in the newspapered front window of The Bear & The Doll (formerly Titanic, formerly Frames) – which closed in March last year (2020) in the distinctive style of London artist Nathan Bowen (ig | web store) who has been working on closed-up buildings and construction hoardings during the pandemic.

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Life Preserver

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If the ice melts, we’re all in the drink – an environmental message from Spacer (Shane Sutton tw) for Friends Of The Earth (NI) (ig | tw) in High Street, Belfast.

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Women Workers Of The World Unite

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A tribute to the impact women have on industry in Cubist style from French, Dublin-based, artist Claire Prouvost (web | ig | tw) outside Transport House in Belfast (around the corner from Workers Of The World Unite).

You can see video of the artist at work on the piece for HTN on ig.

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Workers Of The World Unite

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“We always knew who was ‘essential’ and who keeps our society going … the working class. Thank you to all our members – keeping the country up and running.” Transport House, built in 1959 and once home of the TGWU, has been vacant and there have been plans to renovate it since at least 2019, without any apparent movement, perhaps due to the expense involved (tw). The modern union, Unite (tw), is supposed to move into it upon completion (tw).

The entrance to the building has been boarded up since 2012. For the previous art on the hoarding, see Unite The Union (one | two). The new (computer-generated and -printed) mural shows a graffitist surreptitiously painting a pro-union message.

Brendan Harkin has a gallery of images of the interior on Twitter.

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Keys Cut While You Wait

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Here’s one from inside the modern-day Smithfield market, showing people browsing the shops in the old market, including Havelin’s key-cutting and Hall’s book shop – both have gone out of existence.

Two previous paintings: Smithfield Market

See also this street art celebrating the old market: Old Smithfield and Like A Souk In An Hibernian Casablanca

From the new market: My Old Toy Box | Their Only Colour Was Khaki

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Lost In Simulation

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If we were to guess, humans probably spend more time in simulation – imagining the past, the future, other minds, other situations, with and without the aid of books, games, TV/movies, internet – than in experience, and the pandemic has not helped at all. It’s a weird world, represented by Leo Boyd (web | ig | Fb).

Donegall Street, Belfast.

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Brains, More Brains!

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“Gums and tongue” is the name of a zine by London artist The Real Dill (ig), famous for his fabulous cranial interiors. This is his piece for HTN21 in Union Street.

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