The sun shone yesterday at Botanic Gardens when the Beat Initiative held an event “Life is a carnival” to showcase their abilities along with a specially commissioned aerial spectacular. There were puppet making workshops throughout the day and participants took part in a puppet parade around Botanic gardens before the finale. There were walkabout performances around Botanic gardens as people took in the sun and enjoyed their picnics they had been told to bring along. When the crowd was asked to show their hands in support of the event, the majority were in favour of the carnival holding the event at Botanic gardens as opposed to the city centre. I would be in support of it too. The Lords Majors parade is past it’s sell by date and a change of venue could breath new life into the staid event.
Photographer and visual artist based in Belfast.
I have facilitated community based workshops with groups as diverse as visually impaired individuals in Dungannn, Travellers across Northern Ireland, Young Offenders and many community groups across Belfast.
My work has exhibited extensively here in Northern Ireland in group and individual shows and has been shown in North America and i had my first solo international exhibition in New Zealand. I have been the recipient of a number of grants from the Arts Council Northern Ireland.
I’ll be blogging about Arts and Culture, primarily in Belfast
check out www.moochinphotoman.tumblr.com