October 2009 in Belfast

I have just arrived in Belfast to the Europa hotel where the US President Clinton stayed. As I stood outside its entrance and looked at what was around me, I wondered if the area had reminded him of any american town or perhaps a third world country? Shabbiness, consumer chain stores and grand old British architecture make up Great Victoria street. The Belfast Festival at Queens  is on.  Sponsored by the Ulster Bank and invested in by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the posters lining the street tell me that ‘everyone has a place’.  Its a misty day and I had an early start. My bed is beckoning before my 4 day agenda kicks in.  I am here for the monthly culture team meetings of London 2012 which are scheduled across the year and across all regions and nations. A perk of working on a UK wide project.  I am intrigued to see how Northern Ireland is embracing 2012. Do they see it as London only? How are they taking part? What might the opportunity mean for this part of the UK? Belfast on first impression is a lot like Liverpool to look at. Indeed, Liverpool is only a short hop and full of the Irish and its culture. Is Belfast full of scousers too? I love how the ID of the UK nation fuses and melds over geographical and political territories and my experience of living in the Northwest and being of the UK.

This is my agenda:

Saturday 17th October

12.00 – 3.00 Music Stage in City Hall Grounds with Love Hate racism and Homely Planet radio featuring:

12.30 Colenso Parade

1.20 Joe Lindsay

2.00 Ten Gallon Hat and the Big Salaute

2.45: The Ugly Bug Ball

2.30 – 3.oo Caterpillar Parade

3.10 Fly Butterfly ariel performance spectacle on City Hall facade with Ruby Colley playing orginal sound track

3.30: Announce City Hall open

3.35: Music and Dance Performance Beat Dancers, Beat n Drum, the ireland drummers and maSamba music set

5pm: Meet up with Creative Programmers

8.00pm: Waterfront Hall with seamus heaney and Michael Longley celebration with the Ulster Orchestra for Belfast Festival at Queens.

Sunday 18th October

8.30am pick up NITB/DCAL Tour of Northern Ireland – causeway coastal route, giants causeway visit, lunch at Dingiven Castle, quick walking your of Walled city of Derry, visit to Tyrone, arrive at Ulster American Folk Park and Fighting Irishmen Exhibit returing to Belfast for 5pm.

8.00pm: Old MUseum Arts Centre – bodies, buns and boyfriends – Ponydance Theatre Company

11.00pm: Pony Dance after party at the Menagerie

Monday 19th October

12.45pm – pick up

1.00pm – Titanic Pump House Tour

2.00pm – 8.00pm; LOOCG Agenda for Creative Programmers Only meeting

8.00pm – Belfast City Hall – The Unforgettable Choir with Oh Yeah Music Centre and Belfast Festival at Queens

Tuesday 20th October

9.00 – 4.00: LOCOG Agenda – full team

2.30pm – networking lunch with Northern Irelands 2012 projects, partners and stakeholders

4.00pm: Depart

Stoke Mandeville – Visiting the Birthplace of the Paralympics

Stoke Mandeville was the location for the  April Meeting of Creative Programmers. Here we heard about the history of the Paralympics and Stoke Mandeville’s role in its development. We got a tour around the 70’s style athletes village andexperienced Wheelchair Basketball.  Stoke Mandeville  have exciting plans for how they can link their history to 2012 and the Paralympics with a series of projects celebrating young people and paralympians. . It was an eye opener which brought the passion of paralympic sport into the consciousness of the programmer’s network and illustrated what the connection  between art and disability sport could be and will be about in 2012. Some pics of where we were, what we saw and what we did.

My hand, Stoke Mandeville Ground, How i felt

Celtic Connections in Cornwall

In April the Creative Programmers met in Cornwall at Eden to discuss the development of a celtic connections projects across Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Cumbria. An evening of celtic performance was especially programmed and served between courses of Celtic Food and Fayre. I felt priveledged to be able to see this distinctive local culture. What we found was that Cornwall had connections to Wales  in terms of its development stage and we hope that what will result will be a project between between Wales and Scotland. Here are some pics of Where we worked, where we stayed and the night of events that were hosted.

Location for CP Meeting - 6th and 7th April 2009