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We’re All Mad Here

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This mural of characters from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – including the Mad Hatter, shown above – was painted back in August (or late July) with about twenty feet of purple-painted wall to the right but there has been no advance made on it since then. Also included are the White Rabbit (or possibly the March Hare), the Cheshire Cat – speaker of our title quote – and Alice herself.

North Howard Street, west Belfast

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Death

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Chuck Schuldiner was the founder, vocalist, and guitarist of the metal band Death – one of the first “death metal” bands – from 1983 until his death at 34 from a brain tumour, twenty years ago today (WP). The mural in his honour is in the alley off Bloomfield Avenue, behind the former Vault HQ; it reproduces a Getty image of Schuldiner from 1995 holding a BC Rich Ignitor guitar, now out of production. Please leave a comment if you can decipher the artist’s sig.

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Cobra Kai

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Cobra Kai is the dojo of Johnny Lawrence (pictured above) who served as the villian of The Karate Kid back in 1984 (“Sweep the leg!”); the modern YouTube/Netflix series Cobra Kai is more sympathetic and more complicated – season 4 will be released on December 31st. The mural is by TOAR and NOYS in the Bloomfield Avenue alley behind the old Vault.

McMaster Street, east Belfast

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Act Now

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“Act now” on the climate crisis – the hands “evoke action” in preserving the flowers, butterflies, and bees (Irish News). The work by Danni Simpson (web | ig) is on the Montrose Street side of the Skainos Centre in east Belfast. The mural was unveiled by Rosalind Skillen, a podcaster and writer (e.g. BBC) on climate from east Belfast. Funding was provided by the Climate Coalition (Friends Of The Earth).

See also: Life Preserver

See previously in east Belfast: emic’s ‘twisted hands’ mural which was further along the Newtownards Road when the Vault artists were in the old Ulster Bank building – see 35.

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Builders At Work

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This Nathan Bowen (ig | web store) piece is on the hoarding on the west side of North Street (in front of the car-park). There is no actual construction taking place – the area has been in decline since the fire in the arcade in 2004 (see below and Condensed Community Confidence and Who Burnt Us Out?) and the Tribeca renovation has proven controversial.

Previously by Bowen: Covid-Era Canvases

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