The Cregagh Glen – Lisnabreeny walk (National Trust) is home to a memorial marking the site of the (former) Lisnabreeny American Military Cemetery (featured previously). Today’s images feature a smaller and more recent memorial site, to the coronavirus lockdown. The sign asks for colourful items such as locks and ribbons but the picture above also shows a Translink ticket and a doggie poop bag.
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Two from Swiss artist Bust (ig | web) for HTN22, who describes his current work as “neo-pop”, combining pop art, cartoon characters, and traditional graffiti writing. The smaller piece is in Donegall Street, the multi-storey one can be seen from Kent St. A third, more casual, piece can be seen in Love, Loss, And Beyond .
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Hit The North (organised by Seedhead Arts and sponsored by Hennessy) brings street artists from around the world to Belfast. All of today’s images – which show the lower west side of Kent Street – are by artists from Ireland, north and south – with work by KloWi (ig), Conor McClure (ig) who has painted Phil Lynott, NRMN (Gerry Norman ig), HM Constance (ig), Kilian (ig) who has painted UK chancellor Rishi Sunak saying “Give me all your money, punk”, Liam Gillick‘s quote “How can quantum gravity explain the origin of the universe?” (previously in lower Ormeau) by Laura Nelson (ig), Kerrie Hanna (ig), and All The Doodz (ig).
For other walls painted during this year’s HTN, see Red Heads | The Children Of Gear | Evoke | A Burning World | Love, Loss, And Beyond.
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This signal box on the Holywood Road, Belfast, has been repainted by FGB (ig) to look like a Drumstick – not the musician’s tool or the chicken leg but the chewy lolly. The Drumstick dates back to 1957 (swizzels.com). Swizzels makes not just Drumsticks but also Refreshers, Double Lollies, Love Hearts, Double Dips, Lipsticks, and Whistles.
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A paint-pot for a helmet, the lid for a shield, a paintbrush for a lance, a caparison sporting graffiti as a coat of arms – the knight of art springs into the playground of the imagination.
By Dublin artist ADW (ig | web) for HTN22 in Kent Street, Belfast.
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Two more by Nathan Bowen (ig | web store), in Donegall Street, Belfast – “Have a good day” and “Be inspired”.
See previously: Builders At Work | Covid-Era Canvasses
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When Cupar Way was constructed (circa 1984) it was a joining stretch of road put in place where the houses along Ashmore Street had been, and joined up (part of) Cupar Street and the old First Street; the new road in toto was called “Cupar Way”. Ashmore had been left undeveloped after the start of the Troubles and despite the presence of the separating barrier from 1969 onward, many of the houses on both sides of the wall were demolished or left vacant for various lengths of time. Carlow Street, for example, was redeveloped in 1981, even before the modern wall was put in place, while Ashmore and the bottom of the old Sugarfield Street was not redeveloped until the mid-1990s. (For more info and maps see the Visual History page of the Cupar Way “peace” line.)
The block between First and Third streets was occupied (from 1956 onward) by a Wellman Smith Owen Engineering factory, which had earlier been the Falls Foundry (History); it’s not clear what the date “1897” refers to (above Jesus’s head – for the mural, see Prince Of Peace Line) as the foundry was established in 1845 (Lindsay 1970, Textile History 1.3). Wellman still exists as a company but the foundry at First Street was closed in 1968 (Grace’s). The site is finally to be redeveloped with 48 semi-detached and one detached house – images of what the houses will look like upon completion can be seen at Rea Estates (web).
The new development is presaged by the (May 2021, but still looking fresh) scaled-down security gate at the junction with North Howard Street – similar to the changes made at Workman Avenue and at Townsend Street – with pedestrian gates on both footpaths and no metal sheeting to obscure the view.
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“Circusful” is the new name of the Belfast Community Circus (Arts Council NI) which offers class to artists of all ages (web). Festival Of Fools, an annual extravaganza this year with 70+ comedy and circus performances, starts on Friday (April 29th).
This time last year (2021-04) KVLR (ig | tw | Fb) revamped the mural on the front of the Gordon Street premises with two new characters (above and directly below) and substantial changes to the third (final image). (For the previous version, see Circus Fools.)
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Three Jimmys by Glen Molloy (ig): comedian James Young (WP), actor James Nesbitt (IMDb), and comedian Jimmy Cricket (web | tw) with “sadly no room for Jimmy ‘Rock’n’roll’ Symmington”.
This is the second “3 Jimmy’s” mural; the first was in Exchange Place in 2017.
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Extramural Activity 