“‘Creativity, like society, thrives when the individual elements fit within a bigger picture’ – Ernest Hemingway”
There’s no record of this statement being written or uttered by Hemingway. Instead, it appears to come from Will Gompertz’s 2015 book Think Like An Artist (wikiquote gives “Creativity, like society, thrives when the individual elements fit within, and add to, a bigger picture.”).
Hope Street, Belfast city centre, on the side of the Ginger Bisto on Great Victoria Street.
There has been a small but significant addition has been added below the repainted territorial marking “Loyalist Tiger’s Bay” – “Stop the boats”, the pledge given by Rishi Sunak in January 2023 after almost forty-six thousand people entered the UK in small boats in 2022 (BBC). This resulted in a media campaign in March of 2023 (gov.uk). The slogan was also seen on signs during the anti-immigration riots this (2024) summer (Mirror | Telegraph | NPR | Reuters) and heard chanted by rioters (SMH).
“Stop the boats” was for a time paired with “start the flights”. Since 2022, the Conservative government under Boris Johnson had planned to “start the flights” of some asylum seekers to Rwanda, but this required a protracted legal and legislative campaign involving a bill declaring the “Safety Of Rwanda” (January 2024) after a Supreme Court block on the programme (Human Rights Watch | BBC Explainer).
Sunak called a snap general election in late May, 2024; Labour took power and the Rwanda programme was scrapped (CBS). Sunak called a snap general election in late May, 2024; Labour took power and the Rwanda programme was scrapped (CBS). The language of stopping the boats, however, remains on the Labour website.
In the background of the wide shot, below, the main gable wall, it appears, is being painted to honour King Charles III in the same style as inside the estate – see I Will Plant Them.
For the meaning of the pre-existing “Genesis 38:28”, see Pro-Testant Reformation. It might be applied to the context of immigration in that it concerns the order of succession among twins.
Limestone Road, north Belfast
Update 2024-09-12: the words have been ?partially? whitewashed
Here is a gallery of boards and flyers from on and around the green-spaces adjacent to Free Derry Corner.
“The “crisis” is capitalism – this is a war on the working class. Don’t fall for their lies. Fight back, join RSYM [Fb]”
“Evict greedy landlords, not struggling families. Rates of housing benefit for private renters in Derry and Strabane … landlords should not be charging working class families more than these rates. Don’t let them rob you! Drop The Rents North West [Fb]” (on top of Cosaın Ár Neodracht)
Here is a painting of a model from Femelle Studios (ig) by London artist Mr Cenz (web | tw) in Londonderry’s Waterside, with support from UVArts (ig). With “Death dealers out” graffiti to the right.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Townsend Street offices of homeless charity the Welcome Organisation (web) were rammed with a car which was then set alight (BBC). The graffiti shown above has now appeared on the other side of the Falls Road, threatening anyone who works on the restoration of the building. “Any work-men repairing Welcome centre will be shot!”
The IRSP issued a statement in which they expressed support for the work of the charity but asserted that local residents have been asking for the relocation of the charity for a decade due to the anti-social behaviour of some of Welcome’s clients (see Xitter one | two | the BBC article below | Belfast Media | BelTel). After the attack, the Organisation made an initial statement explaining its altered services and hope for a drop-off point for donations in the light of the attack (Belfast Live) but yesterday said that it would consider moving if it could not reach an agreement with locals at a meeting next week (BBC).
“Where sugar, butter, sides of salted pork, barrels/of herring & other pickled fish are lugged/over the river whose name the city stole.”
This is another “Cathedral Quarter/Smithfield & Union” “walking poem” by Graffic Belfast (ig), in Warehouse Lane. (See also: Hello, Hello, Hello.) The river in question is the Farset – see The Farset Voice. The verse seems to be original.
Here is a selection of art from the Cupar Way section of the west Belfast “peace” line. Some of the artists came into town for Hit The North 2024 (Lidia Cao, Lours, Elno). We also see work by DEUX, SNAK, NOYS, BAISE?, NOTA, Keyto, and Kilian (Road Rage Ruth).
The Belfast marathon (web) took place on May 5th (the same day as Hit The North) and as the runners completed their twentieth mile at the Waterworks on the Antrim Road they might have seen the mile marker shown above, which hopefully inspired them to power through ‘the wall’ they typically hit around 18-20 miles/3.5 hours of running (Marathon Handbook).
Also along the route, in North Queen St, and with a suitable theme, is the Sınn Féın placard shown below: “Let’s not run from the conversation” about a united. Ireland.
Here is a gallery of the new street art from Kent street above Union Street and on the north side of Kent Street below Union Street, painted for 2024’s Hit The North festival. For the south side of Kent Street, see Happy Accidents.
“upper” Kent Street: Odisy (ig) & Vibes (ig) Kitsune (ig) Rob Hilken (ig) unknown writer Artista (ig)
Here is a gallery of street art and writing/graffiti art from Union Street (above Kent Street) and Library Street, in Belfast city centre, painted for Hit The North 2024.
Paddy Duffy Collection 