BELFAST CITY 25 MARCH 2019
Belfast is famous for its murals but in general I do not photograph them as every visitor to the city photographs them and they usually ignore other forms of urban expression around the city.
EXAMPLES OF URBAN EXPRESSION
northern ireland
A SHAPE SHIFTING FLOCK OF STARLINGS KNOWN AS A MURMURATION
BELFAST CITY AT NIGHT MARCH 2019
Unfortunately while I did take a number of photographs this was the only one that was useable as the low light performance of my camera is not the best.
A shape-shifting flock of thousands of starlings, called a murmuration, is amazing to see.
Ireland hosts hundreds of thousands of Starlings from numerous countries all over northern Europe each winter, and every evening they group together and perform mesmerising murmurations before settling down to roost together for the night. Wherever you are in Ireland, keep an eye on the sky from around an hour before sunset and you’ll likely see groups of Starlings all flying in the same direction – to a local lake to roost in the reedbeds on the lake fringes, or maybe to an area of forestry to roost in the trees.
NEO BY ANNA DONOVAN
SCULPTURE IN CONTEXT 20 SEPTEMBER 2022
Anna Donovan works as a ceramics and mixed media artist with a studio in Conway Mill, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her work ranges from figurative sculpture to jewellery with pots in between.
The human figure is the main form from which her pieces evolve.
YOGA LESSON SCULPTURE BY MICHAEL DISLEY
THE ARCHES CENTRE BELFAST
The bold, colourful Arches Centre is a beacon of health and regeneration for its east Belfast neighbourhood. It is one of three new Community Treatment and Care Centres designed to provide a range of health and social care services under one roof.
Outside the Arches Centre in Belfast Michael Disley’s highly visible and cheerful Yoga Lesson sculpture is made of concrete and depicts a child in a flower-print dress performing a hand stand.
In the past 25 years Michael over a hundred public works all across the UK and Ireland. In 1993 he went to Africa to live and work with the Shona carvers in Zimbabwe. More recently he travelled extensively to Japan, China, and India to discover new materials, techniques and cultures.
KIRKPATRICK MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
UPPER NEWTOWNARDS ROAD BELFAST MARCH 2022
This building was completed in 1927 and may have replaced Ormiston Presbyterian church which was on a nearby site.
I had intended to return to the area to specifically photograph a number of churches but had to change my plans as I decided to visit Belfast City Cemetery instead. I may visit again in June or July.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland. Like most Christian churches in Ireland, it is organised on an all-island basis, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The church has approximately 210,000 members.
Apart from the seats for worshippers, the inside of a Presbyterian church is dominated by four items of furniture.
The Pulpit is the place from which sermons are preached. It generally occupies the central place in the church, reflecting the central place of the proclamation of the Word of God in the worship of the Church.
The Lectern, or Bible Stand, holds the Bible in a prominent place in the church. The Bible is the source of all authority in the life of the church.
The Communion Table is often placed directly in front of the pulpit. The associated chairs are occupied by the minister and elders during the service of Holy Communion.
The Baptismal Font is used during baptisms, which is regarded as a sign of the covenant between God and the Church, welcoming the child into the community of the Church. Children are regarded as sharing the promise of salvation with adults in the church and have as much right to be baptised as adults. (‘Infant Baptism’ does not guarantee admission to Full Membership. Full Membership is only accepted on Profession of a personal Faith.)
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