painted wall

Forever Changes

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Love’s 1967 album ‘Forever Changes’ (listen on youtube) features the faces of the five band-members pressed together into the shape of a heart, or Africa. The bottom face was originally drawn (by Bob Pepper) without a smile (WP).

By Graffic (ig) on Hollywood Road, east Belfast, on the shutters of the Bill Harris hair salon.

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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The Sea Walls

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This is new street art by Friz (web) and KVLR (web) and Rob Hilken (web) in Bank Square, presenting a contemporary take on the Belfast coat of arms – the original can be seen in this City Council page.

Belfast became a city in 1888 and from that time onward the sea-horse on the right – both officially and in the new piece – wears around its neck a “mural crown”, a crown that looks like the walls of a city.

The wolf in the official coat of arms is “gorged and chained”. In the new art, the only sign of the wolf’s chain is the metal zipper slider on its tracksuit.

(An 1892 book (archive.org) claims that the chained wolf, while itself a familiar image in heraldry and civic arms, is borrowed specifically from the Chichester coat of arms in tribute to Arthur Chichester, prosecutor of the Nine Years’ War against the O’Neills in Ulster and subsequently Lord Deputy Of Ireland and developer of the village of Belfast into a town (DIB | WP), but we can find no other source to this effect nor any image of the Chichester arms that includes supporters.)

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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The Craic Is Not Wack

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Boombox-head, computer-head, and light-bulb-head are having a good time in this new piece by Leo Boyd (web) on the Cupar Way war-wall (or: “peace” line), riffing on a vintage Keith Haring piece, 1986’s Crack Is Wack.

See also: other recent work by Leo in the same style and the same characters; Don’t Look Wack by FGB in Bangor.

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Park Life

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Various street artists and writers painted the underpass at the end of Kyle Street that goes into Victoria Park (Belfast City Council). Here (top to bottom) is work by Friz (web), emic (web), GWELO, Wee Nuls (web), NOYS (ig), Rob Hilken (web), BORE, FGB (web), Imogen Donegan (ig), Jam (ig) + GoodRobottt (ig), Danni Simpson (web) + Karl Fenz (web)

With support from the Eastside Partnership (web), Connswater Greenway (web), and National Trust (web).

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Welcome To Belfast

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This is the new piece by Leo Boyd (web) for DC Tours, replacing Belfast Romances on Great Victoria Street. It is full of Belfast icons – Titanic, Sammy the seal, Samson & Goliath, Shiela the elephant, the Albert Clock, city hall, the Europa hotel – as well as some familiar Boydisms such as the wind-up police land-rover and the paintbrush cyclist who is responsible for the pink moon and the yellow sun.

Also included is a nearby ‘painthead’ paste-up – see also Do You Own A Giant Building?

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Eyes Of The Tiger

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Here is a gallery of new street art at the Pavilion Bar, St Jude’s Parade, off the Ormeau Road, south Belfast. The pieces are by Friz (web), KVLR (web), “Wet Paint Wet Pints” FGB (web) + Katriona (web), “Keys to the city” by Zippy (web), a Peppa Pig crown in alphabetti spaghetti by Rob Hilken (web), and HMC (web)

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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