Spirit of Belfast facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spirit of Belfast |
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| Artist | Dan George |
| Year | 2009 |
| Type | Steel |
| Dimensions | 700 cm (280 in) |
| Location | Belfast, Northern Ireland |
The Spirit of Belfast is a cool piece of public art in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Public art means art that is out in the open for everyone to see and enjoy. This sculpture was created by an artist named Dan George. It was officially shown to the public on September 25, 2009, after some delays. You can find it in Arthur Square, which is near the main entrance to the Victoria Square shopping mall. The sculpture is made of steel and cost £200,000 to build. Like many other public artworks in Northern Ireland, people have given it a fun nickname: the Onion Rings.
Contents
About the Spirit of Belfast Sculpture
What Does It Look Like?
The Spirit of Belfast sculpture is made of steel. It has special colored lights that shine on it. These lights are meant to remind people of linen, which is a type of fabric that was very important to Belfast's history. The strong metal of the sculpture also represents shipbuilding, another big part of Belfast's past.
This sculpture is part of a larger project called "Belfast: Streets Ahead." This project cost £16 million and was designed to make the city center look much better. The Spirit of Belfast was the final touch for making Arthur Square look new and improved. Even though it was supposed to be ready by June 2008, it wasn't put in place until September 2009.
Who Unveiled It?
The sculpture was officially shown to the public by Margaret Ritchie, who was a Minister for the Department for Social Development. A Minister is a government official who is in charge of a specific department. She was also an MLA, which means she was elected to help make laws for Northern Ireland. The unveiling was even shown live on BBC Newsline on BBC One on September 25, 2009.
How the Sculpture Was Chosen
Finding the Artist
The Department for Social Development started looking for an artist to create the artwork for Arthur Square in June 2007. They used a special process to find the best artist.
- First, they put out a notice for artists to apply. About 20 artists showed interest.
- A special group called the Public Art Selection Jury chose 8 artists from these applications.
- These 8 artists were then asked to create some early design ideas.
- On October 10, 2007, the jury met again. They looked at all the ideas and picked the top three designs. These three designs would then be shown to the public for a vote.
Who Helped Choose?
The group that helped choose the artwork had people from many different organizations. This made sure that many different viewpoints were considered. Some of the groups involved were:
- The Department for Social Development
- Belfast City Council
- The Planning Service
- The developers of Victoria Square
- The design team for the "Belfast Streets Ahead" project
- The Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce
- The Arts Council of Northern Ireland
- The Royal Society of Ulster Architects
Public Vote for the Artwork
After the top three designs were chosen, the public got to have their say! People could see the designs and vote for their favorite online through the "Belfast: Streets Ahead" website. They could also visit a special exhibition at the Lagan Lookout to see the designs in person. The public vote was open from October 22 to November 4, 2007.
The three designs that people could vote for were:
- Dancing Tree
- Phoenix Rising
- Spirit of Belfast
The Spirit of Belfast was the clear winner, getting almost half of all the votes! Here's how the votes turned out:
- Dancing Tree: 28.8%
- Phoenix Rising: 24.6%
- Spirit of Belfast: 46.6%
How It Was Paid For
The money for the Spirit of Belfast sculpture came from two main sources: the Belfast City Council and the Department for Social Development.
Spirit of Belfast Intervention
In May 2012, an artist from Belfast named Tonya McMullan did something interesting with the Spirit of Belfast sculpture. At that time, the sculpture had fences around it because it was being checked for any problems. McMullan put up a temporary sign on the sculpture that simply said 'FAIL'.
This action was photographed by Jordan Hutchings, another artist from Belfast. The picture was then shared online, hoping it would become very popular on the internet, like a "meme." Tonya McMullan considers this act of putting up the sign and taking the photo to be an artwork itself.
