Lower Garfield Street

Where?

54.60129847296084, -5.930495509218962
BT1 1FP – Lower Garfield Street

Description of chosen place

Derelict and has been for years.

What do you imagine the space could be?

What we wanted in 2009! A residency space for artists. An extract from the case made by The Forum for an Alternative Belfast is below: NI has the UK’s highest concentration of empty commercial space is coinciding with creative activity already emerging in Belfast to confront this issue. Equally, artists are struggling to find working/living spaces and Belfast does not currently have a residency programme which can host multiple artists with living and work space in the same building – a growing practice worldwide. The proposed interdisciplinary, international residency programme situated in a refurbished – previously unused – historic building would redress these problems while proactively enriching the city centre’s culturalvibrancy. The scheme would provide international artists with both work and living space located in the city centre in a revived location. Artists would have a communal living area and kitchen, private bedroom and studio. The residency would combine many practices, including visual arts, architecture, music, and literature. Participants would take up occupancy for periods ranging from two weeks to three months. A ground floor gallery below the residency building would showcase the works created by residencies and local artists work. Overall, the programme aims to showcase Belfast as a cultural hub for artists to work, live, and participate in exchange through open studio events, talks, performances and exhibitions. Regarding financing, the programme would create revenue as participating artists would pay residency fees, their subsistence, and flights through support from their local arts councils and governments. Additional funding would enable sponsored residencies and run the gallery, although it would be able to work self sufficiently. Through this, we offer a solution to two prominent issues and greater benefit to the Belfast community.

Top image: Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, via Mashable/Retronaut

Submitted by

Johanna Leech

Date

February 20, 2023

About the ‘Forgotten Spaces’ project

We added a competition element and public voting mechanism to the exhibition to encourage engagement over passive viewing. From this process, two submissions – Short Strand Green Wall and Donegall Street Car Park – were allocated the ‘top prize’ of £100, racking up well over 300 stars between them. A discussion event and prize giving was held on Wednesday March 22nd at the Europa Hotel. We were joined by Sean Dolan, Senior Development Manager, Belfast City Council and Seamus Connolly, Group Manager, Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability, Glasgow City Council for discussion on methodologies and policies in place for ‘How to Regenerate Forgotten Spaces?’. In the continuing spirit of democracy the event audience got to vote to give special commendations for ‘inspiring our collective imagination’ to a further three entries from a shortlist – those selected were Clandeboyne Corner, Inner City Forest (east) and The Church at Fountainville Ave.

With Forgotten Spaces we were interested in derelict buildings, waste-grounds, and development sites in that limbo-state, not because we were trying to address the myriad of complexities about land ownership, access or regeneration but rather because we were trying to draw attention to the vast number of neglected, unloved and underused spaces of the city which seem to get forgotten or ignored in top-level conversations. Imagination is a muscle – you need to feed it, feed it with ideas from other places, people, positive news - hopefully this project is feeding your imagination.

We’re not sure what the next stage will be (or if there will be one) but are always open to discussion ideas. Get in touch if you think we can help you or you can help us.

Meadhbh McIlgorm, Project Curator

Lower Garfield Street

Where?

Description of chosen place

What do you imagine the space could be?

Submitted by

Date

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About the ‘Forgotten Spaces’ project