New work based on the writings of Ciaran Carson

‘Ciaran Carson’s Dream’ is a new work installed outside The Garrick Bar in Belfast. It’s part of a series of works created for a project involving Seedhead Arts, Form Native and Belfast City Council. I was commissioned to make three pieces (other two to be shared soon…) based on the writings of the late, great, writer Ciaran Carson. Primarily known for his poetry, he also produced many prose volumes, including the 1997’s wonderful ‘The Star Factory’. Difficult to categorise, it has been described as a ‘memoir of Belfast’, but it’s also a memoir of the author and his upbringing in this complex city. A line describing a dream, early on in the book, sparked this image in my mind. It began life as a small linocut and ended up as an enormous screenprint on Perspex. The work can be viewed outside ‘The Garrick Bar’ in Belfast. My thanks to the establishment for agreeing to the installation – which, by their account, has been well received. If you’re down for a look, pop in for a pint and tell them I sent you…

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