A series of new street art projects are set to pop up in a popular part of East Belfast in the coming weeks.
The Eastside Partnership, working alongside the Ballyhackamore Business Association will be looking to revitalise the streets in the area with a new series of street art installations.
It has appointted Daisy Chain Inc, who have taken part in a series of heritage art schemes in Belfast City Centre including the Entries project, to take on the task, with the company working with some of the UK's best street artists in order to deliver it.
EastSide Partnership’s Assistant Chief Executive, Chris Armstrong, said: “Ballyhackamore is rich with incredibly fascinating heritage which local businesses were keen to celebrate through this streets revitilisation project.
"The team from Daisy Chain Inc. have pulled together some of the UK’s leading street artists for this project and each has drawn out specific heritage elements unique to Ballyhackamore.”
The heritage themes that will be explored include Ballyhackamore’s historic reputation for horticultural nurseries as well as remembering the by-gone street scenes which would have included tram lines, overhead cables and ornate gaslamps. In fact, one of Belfast’s last lamplighters lived close by, tending to the gas street lamps on the city’s bridges until the late 1960s.
London-based street artist Hicks, who has worked on previous commissions for EastSide Partnership, will also be highlighting Ballyhackamore’s unique geography as a gateway from the city to the countryside.
Doreen McKenize from Ballyhackamore Business Association said: “We are really excited to see these street art pieces being installed across Ballyhackamore. There is a real sense of optimism in the run up to Christmas and we want to thank everyone from the artists to the property owners and Belfast City Council for working together to make this happen.”
The street art project has been supported by Belfast City Council’s Business and Community Cluster grant scheme.
It is currently ongoing and is expected to complete by late November.
