Sandcastles

August 2009

Along with Catalyst Arts we brought the second Belfast Sandcastles, sited in a former newpaper warehouse on Donegal Street. Urban sandcastles illustrates a few themes, firstly making active use of our vacant buildings, the realisation that we need multiple activities in the city. 

Another theme is taking over space, in Germany the street festival for play and transforming urban space is a common feature of life – it is important that Belfast citizens start to realise the city is theirs, and they must repossess its streets for real civic life. Sandcastles were subject to a number of special tests, the water spray test and the motte test. Castles were awarded prizes for most inventive, most practical, most landscaped, every castle explored different themes.