Quick visit to Belfast

Since a hard border is becoming a real possibility with the impending Brexit, I wanted to make sure I got in a visit to Belfast beforehand, because it is not very likely I will bother returning if there is a guarded border like there was before the Good Friday Agreement.

I love Belfast, especially the multitudinous public sculptures! We were just on an overnight, so after dinner we walked down the street to look at the full moon through Dan George's "The Spirit of Belfast"

Dinner, of course was at Little Wing, which has the best pizza EVER. I think this small chain business only exists in the North, but I wish there was one closer to home. We absolutely love getting the giant pizza with pepperoni on one half, and artichokes, purple onions, tomatoes,and olives ["giardini"] on the other half. Chili flakes, chili oil, and extra parmesan are for the asking. YUM!!!

After breakfast the next morning, We had a pleasant 5 minute walk to The MAC in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast. This is one of the happiest looking streets I have ever seen. I imagine it must be hopping in the evening.

All the galleries at The MAC were devoted to MAC International, an open biennale with a large prize fund [£20K]. I was surprised that all the work in the exhibition seemed to focus on installation and video/film, with a special interest in the Beuysian concept of lecturing. The work of the prizewinner, Nikolaus Gansterer, was partly created in situ. It seemed to me that one of video lectures included the torture of a group of snails, and I found this quite distressing.

The MAC is a large arts centre, which has a reading area and lots of café space.  Like a ray of light, Mark Garry's "The Permanent Present" (according to The MAC brochure it is also "referred to affectionately" as "the rainbow") is a permanent art piece in the centre.

On the short walk back towards the carpark, I noticed this building but could not really see what was happening with it till I got closer. The wonky reflection in the glass is a much older building across the road. I like it!

I have always liked this sculpture, "The Rise" by Wolfgang Buttress, and finally had my phone camera out in time to take its picture as we were leaving the city under a very dramatic sky.

It rained as we were passing the Mountains of Mourne, but once we got across the soft border, the rain stopped for the rest of the drive home, though the dramatic skies continued.