Belfast is bidding to be European Capital of Culture 2008 for thechance to alter its image, reports Róisín Ingle
Imagine no more Troubles. Imagine smiling at each other. Imagine seeing the other side. Imagine peace. These are just a few of the aspirational thoughts to be projected on to Belfast's landmark Harland and Wolff cranes as part of the city's bid for European Capital of Culture 2008.
The cranes will be lit up with the 30 ft high white text for the next eight nights by the Imagine Belfast consortium, the group behind the bid. This unique light show marks the first time the shipbuilding company has allowed the yellow cranes to be used in this way despite numerous requests from companies over the years.
Peter Harbinson, communications manager for Harland and Wolff, said the company was intrigued by the idea of using the cranes as a blank canvas to exhibit the ideas and aspirations of the people of Belfast. The Nightlights idea came from a member of the public after a postcard campaign asking people to suggest ideas for the bid. Some of the slogans are a little more aspirational than others: one bright spark came up with Belfast United 3 - Manchester United 0.
Shona McCarthy, chief executive of Imagine Belfast, said the site of the visual display was particularly apt as it overlooked the Titanic Quarter, which will undergo massive regeneration over the next few years.
"One of the main aims of the bid is to challenge preconceived images of Belfast and I think this starts by reconsidering the things around us, looking at them in a new and creative way," she said.
Since its launch, the project has been gathering support from the arts, business and political communities across the North. The bid is part of the Executive's programme for government and is funded by the Arts Council, Belfast City Council and the private sector.
Fourteen UK cities are in the running for the title including Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff and Brighton. The last UK city to become European Capital of Culture was Glasgow in 1990 and it led to the economic, social and culture regeneration of that city.
Recently, Belfast was named as a front-runner in the competition by the Financial Times. "That was very encouraging," McCarthy said. "At the beginning of this we had people saying catch yourself on, but to be seen as a favourite is a definite boost".
SHE SAID the group had been taking an informal approach in finding out from the people of Belfast how the bid should progress. "Belfast is a city that is consulted out, there are so many reports sitting on shelves that have never been looked at. That is why we are taking a more real approach and it is working," she added.
Among the criticisms of the city's chances has been its lack of a designated art gallery and venues for opera or ballet. McCarthy, who founded Cinemagic, the city's long-running cinema festival for young people, rejects this argument. "All of those things will come but at the moment we are in dialogue as a city about the meaning of culture. Does it mean opera, does it mean ballet? I am not convinced it does, there are bigger issues in this city. There is no point saying that culture isn't about social welfare or community development in a city like Belfast because it so obviously is," she said.
Others have pointed to the overwhelmingly negative image of Belfast internationally, an image given more credence by the recent trouble in north Belfast, but "that is nothing new" countered McCarthy. "There is huge curiosity about Belfast as a city in transformation, it is a model for cities in conflict around the world . . . this process has to break down the sectarian divide in some way and if it doesn't, we have failed," she said.
Throwing his weight behind the bid, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Michael McGimpsey, said that while the city was not a Florence or New York, it had a unique character and culture. "I do not want to 'reinvent' Belfast. You couldn't invent Belfast, never mind reinvent it. But I want Belfast to be in a position where it can win this title and reap the benefits and those benefits would be considerable and they would touch all of us in Northern Ireland," he said.
On Thursday night, the Secretary of State, Dr John Reid, endorsed the bid, saying the city had "an enormous reservoir of culture".
While McCarthy was coy about some of the bigger events planned, she said the main themes of the bid will include youth, education and heritage. "It has always been a small city that did things beyond its scale," she said.
It is hoped the Nightlights campaign will raise awareness of the bid which will be officially submitted in March, before a number of cities are short-listed in September.
"We already feel like we are winning," McCarthy said.