An open letter to the Department for Social Development regarding proposals for a public

sculpture in Fountain Street, Belfast

On the 26th of April 2010, PLACE, the centre for the built environment in Northern Ireland, based in
Fountain Street, called a meeting of interested parties to consider the proposal by the Department for
Social Development to build a new piece of public art at the junction of Fountain Street and Fountain
Lane, Belfast. These proposals had recently been submitted to the Department of the Environment for
planning approval. Public notice of the application had appeared in newspapers on Friday 23rd April.
Arising from this meeting, a group of individuals and organisations came together to prepare the
following response and raise concerns about the appropriateness and quality of the proposal, and of
the process used to arrive at it. We have grouped our concerns under four headings: Procurement,
Location, The Wider Plan and Sustainability.

Procurement

We do not believe that sufficient expertise was made use of in devising the brief, or in assessing the
applications.

At present there is no strategic policy governing the commissioning and placing of public art in
Belfast. However there are numerous documents which give some general guidelines for
commissioners. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s ‘Public Art Handbook’ stresses the importance
of making use of available artistic expertise on commission management committees (p. 9); the
Department for Social Development’s ‘People & Place: Reflections of a City: Public Realm Strategy
for Belfast City Centre’, in its section on public art, makes a similar point (p. 24). We are concerned
that the procurement panel for this major commission included no artists, or any representative from
artists’ organisations. We note the presence of the Arts Council on the panel but we are worried that
greater input from the Arts Council appears not to have been sought in devising the original brief, the
specifications of which were drawn up by the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD). In the 15-page
brief, only one minor paragraph is dedicated to describing the intended nature of the piece being
commissioned.

We therefore do not believe that CPD made use of sufficient expertise in devising the brief, or in
assessing the applications. We are concerned that the DSD and CPD, bodies without a primary remit
for the arts, do not have a clear rationale for the use of public art in the city, other than to act as ‘way
markers’ on the ‘retail circuit’. As the ‘Public Art Handbook’ recognises, “Public art, while often
invigorating, stimulating and regenerative, can also sometimes be banal or of poor quality, quickly
becoming superfluous urban clutter. There is much current debate around the commissioning of
public art and what it can and cannot achieve.” (p. 7)

We would urge DSD and other agencies with a regeneration remit in the city to make use of all
available expertise in commissioning public art, and to listen to a broader range of voices in devising
the criteria and guidelines for such commissions. The business community have important insights to
offer in the regeneration of the public realm in Belfast, but in order to create fully active, 24-hour urban
space, public agencies need to make sure they are seeking advice from the wider, experienced
knowledge base that is available in the city.

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Location

The combined width of the sculpture and the adjacent seating leaves almost five metres of Fountain
Street inaccessible for pedestrians.

Fountain Street in Belfast is one of the most successful pedestrian streets in the city. The recent
street and landscape work carried out by the DSD has improved the experience both for citizens of
Belfast and its visitors. The street also has an interesting mixture of shops, restaurants, bars,
businesses, an exhibition space and a library.

The proposed location of the five and a half metre high sculpture, at the junction with Fountain Lane,
is approximately two metres from the Olive Tree House office building. This will make it very
uncomfortable for a pedestrian to walk between the sculpture and the building. The combined width of
the sculpture and the adjacent seating leaves almost five metres of Fountain Street inaccessible for
pedestrians. This amounts to nearly 40% of the street. Should a service vehicle be parked near the
sculpture the remaining space for a pedestrian would be very limited creating a potentially hazardous
situation. This is clearly shown on Atkins drawing: 5051503_LA_9290: Swept Paths: 12m rigid truck
(submitted for planning approval). We recommend a full risk analysis be carried out of the impact of
the proposed sculpture on pedestrian safety, in this shared space, in accordance with Office of
Government Commerce guidelines.

The Wider Plan

We consider submitting the sculpture now for planning, separately, to be premature, presumptious,
and of high risk.

The incongruous scale and location of the proposal is explained on examination of the DSD’s wider
plans for the area. In Autumn 2009 the DSD issued their Westside Regeneration Plan (that is, some
time after the sculpture commission had been advertised in February and March 2009). This
regeneration plan included driving a new curved street through the block surrounded by Queen Street,
Fountain Street and Castle Street. The purpose of this was to complete the ‘retail circuit’ between our
two shopping centres, Castlecourt and Victoria Square.

The proposed sculpture is located exactly as shown on the Westside Regeneration Plan. Given this
we have a number of concerns:

• The DSD’s wider vision (including the proposed curved street) has not been submitted to or
approved by the planning service or Belfast City Council. Since this new streetscape appears
to be a crucial context in determining the siting of the new sculpture, we consider submitting
the sculpture now for planning, separately, to be premature, presumptious, and of high risk.

• Even if the DSD’s vision were to be realised, with their own phasing of regeneration work in
central Belfast, and in the current economic climate, it will not happen for the next 15 to 20
years. Until then the ‘jug’ will stand incongruously, without the benefit of the proper context for
which it was commissioned. It is therefore inappropriate to build this sculpture until such time
as the setting for it is in place.

• The emphasis on the retail circuit, and on preventing ‘pedestrian leakage’ is questioned.
Belfast has a strong grid of distinctive streets. The citizens and visitors do not need to be led

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 on a retail circuit; other ways of being in, and of using the city should be given more
consideration in such important plans.

Sustainability

We do not consider that carving a jug measuring 3m x 1.38m monolithically from Black Shanxi granite
and shipping it half-way around the world meets standards for quality and sustainability.

There are a number of departmental guidelines to ensure the delivery of excellence in the built
environment, which we consider relevant in assessing the quality of the proposed public sculpture in
Fountain Street. One theme common to each document is sustainability.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s ‘Architecture and the Built Environment: Policies, Strategies
and Actions’ says (p. 7) that good design should

• create flexible, durable, sustainable and ecologically sound development

• minimise waste of materials in construction and use

The Office of Government Commerce’s ‘Achieving Excellence in Procurement Guide: Design Quality’
equally emphasises that “good design takes full account of sustainability and environmental
concerns”.

The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure initiative ‘Architecture and the Built Environment’ has
sustainable development as one of its three guiding principles.

We do not consider that carving a jug measuring 3m x 1.38m monolithically from Black Shanxi granite
and shipping it half-way around the world meets the standards for quality and sustainability set in
these key government policy documents.

Conclusion

From consideration of these four areas, we do not believe the Magic Jug to reach the standards for
quality expected by the citizens of Belfast and defined in key government policy documents. We feel
that it is inappropriate to proceed with the proposal at this time and in its current form. We would be
pleased to engage with commissioning bodies to develop the distinctive character that is Belfast, and
to offer constructive input on appropriate procedures for procuring and locating public art. The
opportunity to regenerate the city centre will not come again and each element of the urban fabric has
a critical role to play – we are therefore committed to making the right choices for Belfast, its citizens
and visitors.

Signed

Declan Hill, architect

Daniel Jewesbury, artist

Belfast, 21st May 2010

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and:
Mark Hackett, architect
Forum for Alternative Belfast
Stephen Hackett, arts administrator and co-director, Factotum
Rachel Brown & Bríghdín Farren, directors, Brown & Brí
Mary McIntyre, artist, Reader in Fine Art, University of Ulster
Hugh Mulholland, curator, The Third Space Gallery
Dr. Aisling O’Beirn, artist and lecturer
Dr. Stephen Baker, lecturer
Dr. Robert Porter, lecturer
Phil Ramsey, PhD researcher
Dan Shipsides, artist and lecturer
Ben Allen, artist
Dr. Fionola Meredith, writer and broadcaster
Richard West, co-editor, Source, The Vacuum, co-director, Factotum
Michael Hegarty, architect
Amberlea Neely, arts manager
Conor McCafferty, communications manager
Fiona Goggin, artist and director, Belfast Platform for the Arts

Dr. Kenneth Sterrett, lecturer Tony Maas, artist

John Duncan, artist and co-editor, Source Colette Norwood, arts manager
Rita Harkin, conservation planner Sinead Conlon, artist
Caragh O’Donnell, artist Laura Graham, artist
Ronan McCrea, artist Ruth Graham, artist and arts administrator
Karen Downey, curator John Boucher, artist
Benjamin de Burca, artist Colin Darke, artist
Meabh McDonnell, artist Draw Down The Walls
Sara O’Gorman, artist Martin Boyle, artist
Finbar Krook Rosato, curator Helen Crickard, craftsperson
Maria McKinney, artist Fionnuala Doran, artist
Ruth McCarthy, broadcaster Eamonn Maxwell, curator
Colin McGookin, artist Peter Spiers, artist
Justin McKeown, artist Johanna Leech, artist
Gerard Carson, artist Colm Clarke, artist
Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell, artist Jan Uprichard, artist
Stuart Watson, musician Kim McAleese, artist
Dominic Thackray, designer Sara Greavu, artist
Helen Sharp, artist Cian Donnelly, artist
Joe Lindsay, broadcaster Royce Harper, broadcaster
Jenny Keane, artist Kevin Miller, artist
Vittoria Cafolla, writer Aideen Doran, artist
Aideen Barry, artist Helena Hamilton, artist
Kiri Barker, arts administrator

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Tomas Gorman Rebekah Wilson
Stuart Fallis Stefanie Campbell
Joanna Fursman Ruairi Higham
Nat Irvine Bronagh McElduff
Karen O'Hare Jennifer Lea
Steven Quinn Peter Farrell
Phil Hamilton Teresa Willis
Kerry Rides David Stirling
Ann Willis Anne Marie Taggart
Cathy Dempster Julian Salmon
Dale Mawhinney Lou Shine
Ciarán Doherty Gorman Jayne Connolly
Lisa McBride Christopher Burns
Lisa Dunne Anthony Ashe
Anna Patrick Joanna Mason
Paul McLaughlin Nigel Martyn
Karen McFarlane Angie O'Reilly
Marty Malone Tony Gallagher
Andy Leathem Eoin Dalton
Anna Donovan Caitriona Lambe
David Todd Martin Graham
Stephen McClenaghan Peter Warnock
Jenny Wilson Jonathan Clark
Cecilia Danell Clare McQuillan
Deirdre O'Mahony Cathal Henry
Andrew Bolster Kathy Maria Marsh
Sarah McCormack Graeme Wilson
Ruth McLaughlin Conor Shaw
Drew Inglis Maureen O'Hare
Wendy Kirkpatrick Ian Pearce
Megan Guy Sarah Connor
Emily Christie Alice Quigley
Simon Maguire Ludwig O'Neill
Michael McCartan Chris Allen
Janine Rice Micky Kelly
Anna McCaughtry Eunice Yeates
Michelle Nolan James McCullough
Rachel McAvera Alice Little
Jo Roberts Gemma McMahon
Chiara-Jane Grindle Eva McDermott
Jeanette Blair Joseph A Henry
Suzanne Henry Mia Maria
Denise Walker Suzie Houston
Emmett McKenna Paula Dillon
Conor McCafferty Kellie Turtle
Rosalyn Davidson Kyle Lemon
Donna Docherty Maeve Phoebe O'Hara

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Katie Murphy Nicole Ní Phádraig
Michelle Moloney Claire McKervey
Anne-Marie Mullan Ken Quigley
Jennifer McDonald Mark Hamilton
Sinéad McCullagh Stephen Rainey
Thomas McKervey Rebecca Volley
Rebecca McCusker Roisin Davis
Helen Toland Alex Kazam
Martin Barrett Dave Frecknall
Amanda Curliss Leslie Anderson
Julie Barclay Ryan O'Reilly
Aileen McKenna Ruairí Watson
David McCann Janice Smyth
Anita Leek Claire Heaney
Rebekah McCabe
Marilyn Porter
David Agnew
Ciaran Hughes
Ruaidhri Lennon
Annette Dempsey
Laura O’Connor
Rosie Le Garsmeur
Chuck Neely
Matthew Rodger
Catherine Magee
Pavana Reid
Sarah Cassidy
Ryan Tate
Nicola Woods
John C McKeown
Rachel Dickson
Suzanne Barrett
Gwendolin Patterson
Claire Henry
Lyndsay Donly
Deborah McKnight
Olan Byrne
Miguelito Martinez
Malachy Grant
Aidan Browne
Rachel Keenan
David Morgan
Glenn Marshall
Aisling McKenna
Bernardine Carroll
Amanda Holloway
Kate Plate