Dany Louise asks what Derry’s legacy will be for art and artists in the city, as its year as UK City of Culture draws to a close.
The route from Belfast is peppered with road signs that point the direction to ‘Derry’, the ‘London’ prefix obscured by white spray paint. As you enter the city, the first notable sight is the Peace Bridge that spans the River Foyle, opened in 2011 and symbolically connecting the Catholic and Protestant populations. When I arrive at my hotel, the frieze behind the reception shows images relating to the city’s recent political history. Later on, at the opening reception for the Lumiere festival – my reason for being in the first UK City of Culture – former IRA commander Martin McGuiness, now Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister and born and bred in Derry, makes one of the speeches.
Politics, religion and Northern Ireland’s recent violent history are unavoidable in this still divided city. “Even the use of the name 'Derry-Londonderry' in the branding was a political compromise,” says Derry artist Damian Duffy. It is impossible to write about the visual arts in this City of Culture year without mentioning the area’s difficult past. History permeates the architecture of the city, from its 17th century walled ramparts and cathedral and churches, to the terraced houses of the Bogside and the imposing Ebrington Barracks, previously home to the British Army and currently housing the Turner Prize exhibition.
The route from Belfast is peppered with road signs that point the direction to ‘Derry’, the ‘London’ prefix obscured by white spray paint. As you enter the city, the first notable sight is the Peace Bridge that spans the River Foyle, opened in 2011 and symbolically connecting the Catholic and Protestant populations. When I arrive at my hotel, the frieze behind the reception shows images relating to the city’s recent political history. Later on, at the opening reception for the Lumiere festival – my reason for being in the first UK City of Culture – former IRA commander Martin McGuiness, now Northern Ireland’s deputy first minister and born and bred in Derry, makes one of the speeches.
Politics, religion and Northern Ireland’s recent violent history are unavoidable in this still divided city. “Even the use of the name 'Derry-Londonderry' in the branding was a political compromise,” says Derry artist Damian Duffy. It is impossible to write about the visual arts in this City of Culture year without mentioning the area’s difficult past. History permeates the architecture of the city, from its 17th century walled ramparts and cathedral and churches, to the terraced houses of the Bogside and the imposing Ebrington Barracks, previously home to the British Army and currently housing the Turner Prize exhibition.