painted wall

Oppression Breeds Resistance

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The 1916 centenary mural in Andersonstown has been repurposed and repainted to express solidarity with the people of Palestine.

From the frame of the previous mural – see Unbowed, Unbroken – the title, phoenix, and chains have been preserved but two instances of the inverted red triangle have been added at the top and bottom – see Resist! (and My Kite You Made).

The main panel puts the struggles in Palestine and Northern Ireland in parallel, showing (from top to bottom on each side) political prisoners, violence against protesters, and relatives carrying portraits.

On the left, Palestinian prisoners languish in Israeli jails (based on a photo of Hamza Abu Halima and on this Reuters photograph of prisoners sitting in the street, both from December 2023) and IDF soldiers make violent arrests – the one on the left is from 2016 (CCUN) and the one on the right is perhaps based on this Reuters photograph.

On the right: British soldiers restore order after the Burning Of Long Kesh (see Operation Pagoda), next to blanket-man Hugh Rooney, above three arrests made by British Army soldiers – their caps indicates that they are from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (left) and the Paratroop regiment (centre). (For two of the original photos, see BBC | Getty.)

Along the bottom of both sides, marchers hold portraits of the dead, including the recently-killed leader of Hamas Yahya Sinwar (BBC).

For the mural to the right (in the wide shot) see Stop The Genocide – Save Palestine.

An Neasc Theas, Baıle Mhıc Aındréıs, Béal Feırste thıar (South Link, Andersonstown, west Belfast)

October 13th:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05811 T05811c T05812 T05813 T05814 T05815 T05816 T05817 T05818 T05819
T05719 T05718

Swift-Tailored

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the second “Living Mural” in Wild Belfast’s (web) “Art For Conservation” project. The first was on the side of a stand at Cliftonville FC, where a Daniela Balmaverde painting was dotted with small structures for house-martins (see Bird In The Hand).

The second, shown here, is above the Little Victoria Street car-park in Bruce Street and again includes bird boxes along with the artwork. The sideways-on image, below, gives the best view of the eight “swift bricks” that will provide nesting space for the birds in the summer, as well as the bird-call speakers (above the “S” of “swift” on the side) that will hopefully attract the swifts. Both swifts and house-martins have ‘red’ (“high concern”) conservation status in Ireland (Bird Watch Ireland pdf).

By Rob Hilken (web).

In-progress shots from October 20th:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05806 T05805 T05737 T05807 T05810
T05739 T05738 T05740 [T05736]

A Very Particular Set Of Skills

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“I will find you … a property.” Liam Neeson stars in the film Taken as a father who is determined to rescue his kidnapped daughter from Albanian sex-traffickers, slaughtering more or less everyone who stands in his way (WP). The same ruthless measures are apparently required to find and buy a home under our current system of predatory capitalism.

This is street art by Jossie Pops (web) on the side of the offices of Independent estate agents in Bingham Street/Hamilton Road, Bangor.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05784 T05783 T05785

Take Back The City

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The city in question here is Bangor, Co. Down (rather than London, which features in the video (youtube) for the song of the same name). The band Snow Patrol (and in particular, guitarist and Bangor native Gary Lightbody) have organised a music festival in the town’s Ward Park in 2007, 2010, and 2019 (Soul Surmise). There are no public plans for a ‘Ward Park 4’ (Chord Blossom) but there is some speculation on-line (Fb) of a concert in 2025, which artist Jossie Pops (web) is trying to drum up support for with this painting of Lightbody on the side of Harrison-Morris-Waugh chartered account’s office, in Southwell Street, Bangor.

Also in Bangor: The cover of Snow Patrol’s ‘Wildness’ album was painted for Ward Park 3 – see This Is Not The Same As Other Days.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05761 T05762 T05760

Handsome Dave

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“In loving memory of Davy Wilsdon” – Wilsdon appears to have been a member of the Somme Memorial flute band (Fb) in Bangor. He died in January, 2022 (funeral service on youtube). The band sponsored a memorial bench in Wilsdon’s honour in the village of Mesnil-Martinsart, France (Fb | Street View | see also Ulster Tower). In addition, his portrait has been painted by London artist Olivier Roubieu (web) in Beatrice Avenue/High Street, Bangor, replacing the painting of Terry Bradley’s Don’t Look Back.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05769 [T05770] T05771

Mystery Man

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Bangor artist Jossie Pops (web) painted Bangor photographer Gerry Coe’s portrait (ig) of Bangor author Colin Batemen. Ten of Bateman’s books are stacked to the left, from 1995’s Divorcing Jack to 2022’s Thunder And Lightning.

Mill Row, Bangor, opposite irony’s ‘crab attack’ street art.

See also: Apocalypse Mime.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05779 T05778 T05781 T05780 T05782
T05776 T05777

Zoom!

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of new street art on the ever-changing wall in the ‘Project 24’ space off Queen’s Parade, Bangor. Above is a tribute by Glen Molloy (Fb) to fellow sprayer JOHNDEN1; below is the piercing gaze of an eagle by Keyto (ig).

Here are some pieces on the same wall from July (Bangor Is Buzzing), April (How About This For Art?), November 2023 (Stop Ruining Art), March 2023 (This Is Not The Same As Other Days).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05763 T05764 [T05768]
T05765 T05766 T05767

La Calavera Catrina

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Painting one’s face to resemble a skull, and wearing flowers (particularly marigolds) in one’s hair is a modern tradition that stems from the sugar skulls that are part of the offerings that the living provide for the dead who – for the brief period around the ‘Day Of The Dead’ – are able to return from the underworld (Mexico Historico | Bachman)

This calavera catrina (“dapper skull”) was painted by Visual Waste (web) on the upper wall of Bebe Adrianos Mexicanos (Fb), a burrito bar in Bangor.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05772 T05773