Photographer Mariusz Smiejek (web | ig) was born in Poland in 1978 but moved to Northern Ireland in 2011, which is when he started taking pictures of bonfires – in areas such as Highfield, the Village, and the Shankill – and the people around them. The full gallery for his ‘Bonies’ project is available on his web site.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A reminder of summer to get us through a bleak Coronavirus Christmas from designer and artist Wee Nuls (ig | web) in Kent Street for HTN2020. Her merch is available from the Vault pop-up shop.
Previously Wee Elf | Fat Gremlin
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Walkway Community Centre (Fb) in east Belfast got a new mural back in May, painted by Nathan Calderwood, to thank all of the “community heroes” working during the pandemic. “ea” (on the left) is for Education Authority who sponsored the work.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A six-week lockdown beginning on December 26th was approved last night by the executive, which said the current situation required an “urgent intervention” (BBC). The lockdowns are difficult for everyone, not just financially but psychologically. (See previously: Home Is Where The Hurt Is.) This Broadway graffiti suggests that the lockdowns are promoting suicides, though there do not appear to be data yet suggesting an increase in suicide during the pandemic. ‘Action 61’ appears to be a fringe protest group.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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DMC (Dermot McConaghy) appears to have scrubbed his on-line presence but the man himself was in Belfast in September for HTN2020.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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October 10th is WHO World Mental Health Day. To mark the occasion and respond to the continued high rates of suicide in west Belfast (Assembly Research), emic (web | tw | ig) and local youth painted an “OK” gesture on the side of the Alternatives (web) offices in Agnes Street, which also includes the numbers for Lifeline and Samaritans. In-progress images of the mural being painted by can be seen at AlternativesRJ. In the US, the “OK” hand gesture has recently become associated with the ‘white power’ movement (WP).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Here’s a year-end gallery of the graffiti art and wild-style writing that didn’t make it into an individual post this year (2020). Artists include SCAN, NOTA, JAKOV, MASH. Belfast city centre and Cupar Way “peace” line.
See also: State Art Vs. Graffiti On The West Belfast “Peace” Line.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Brexit chaos has done much to provoke thoughts of the breakup of the UK in both Scotland and Northern Ireland (e.g. Slugger). Sliabh Dubh was last week calling for “unity”, the first step towards which would be a “border poll” both north and south. The UK government, however, has not spelled out the conditions under which a poll might take place (the GFA says only ‘when the motion seems likely to pass’) (The Detail), and Taoiseach Michael Martin said recently that a border poll was not on the agenda for the current five-year parliamentary term (Irish Central).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Thank you NHS and all frontline workers – stay safe”. They might not be getting much recognition in terms of mammon but “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6.10 NIV) The van was spotted on the Shankill.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Ní saoırse go saoırse na mban [“There is no freedom without the freedom of women”] with images of Countess Markievicz, Colman Doyle’s famous ?1974? image of a (staged) female IRA volunteer with AR-18, Máıre Drumm, and Maıréad Farrell. Lasaır Dhearg (web) sticker in north Belfast.
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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Extramural Activity 