The main panel (shown below) is a tribute to soldiers in the Great War (1914-1918), with a border of poppies and silhouetted soldiers reflecting over helmets on crosses. To the side, however, is the modern UVF volunteer (shown above), with balaclava and assault rifle.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“… but so is hope.” World Mental Health Day was October 10th, and in support of the cause and their “elephant in the room” report (with Belfast Youth Forum and Children’s Law Centre), the Northern Ireland Youth Forum (Fb), with the support of Peace IV funding, produced this mural on Northumberland Street, just above the security gates.
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A covered walkway has been added around the Bank Buildings to join Royal Avenue and Donegall Place while construction goes on after the fire which gutted the building on August 28th, 2018 (BBC-NI).
The artwork above is by Danni Simpson (ig | web) at the Harp Bar; an Instagram story describes the process.
A previous non-militaristic used of the phoenix: Belfast Phoenix by Andy Council in North Street.
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“Up the gangbangers.” Hoods from the New Lodge Road (some recent disturbances: Belfast Live | Irish Times | BelTel | Irish News) leave a graffiti message on top of Ed Reynolds’s (web) mural, seen previously in The Old New Lodge, On My Wedding Day, St Patrick’s and Faces From The Past, the last of which includes an image of the mural getting a coat of anti-graffiti varnish.
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From the Twitter feed of Colombian street artist Visual AGP (Anderson García Pérez | (web): “Newen” means “strength” or “energy” … birds represent the freedom and colors of the Wiphala [the flag of indigenous peoples of the Andes].”
“Graficalia” refers to a street art festival aimed at minimising youth violence in their home town of Cali, Colombia.
Compatriot Sancho was also in Belfast for Hit The North/Culture Night: see Empezando Con La Magia.
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Leo Boyd (web | previously) resurrected his ‘PSNI ice-cream wagon’ for Culture Night/Hit The North, along with Laura “Lamb” Nelson (profile), and added a trio of winged police land-rovers like wooden ducks ascending along a living-room wallpaper and vintage ice-cream advertising. The piece drew the response shown in the second image, but this was apparently too direct a comment and was quickly painted out.
Both artists are currently members of Vault Artists (web | Fb | ig) (formerly Belfast Bankers).
Update 2018-11 damage and grafitti
Update 2019-01 further damage
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Update: replaced by a Clockwork Land-Rover
The magic of Culture Night and Hit The North reaches its tenth year in 2018. As part of the celebration two Colombian artists were in Belfast this past weekend for Culture Night. The magic begins with this inter-species mural above is by Sancho (Fb | ig).
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Kintsugi, according to WP, is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with a metallic lacquer, which means that the repair is visible, and “treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.”
Conor McClure (web | Fb) writes that “My Hit The North piece is based on the link with this philosophy and mental health in our society. Rather than have to hide round the stigma of mental illness people should be able to display their scars and wear them with pride.” October 10th was World Mental Health Day.
Previously: More Wolf Than Woman | Spring Wings
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