Stormont Set to Host Lawn Fresco of Intertwined Hands

By Rebecca Black (PA)

The seat of government in Northern Ireland is set to host a gigantic bio-degradable lawn fresco of intertwined hands.

It is part of Swiss-based French graffiti artist Saype’s worldwide Beyond Walls Project, extending its symbolic human links to the region.

Saype has been termed a pioneer of an artistic movement linking street art and land art, and is committed to eco-friendly methods.

He has described one of his aims as to not only shed light on issues of social transformation but to promote eco-friendly and sustainable methods of creating art through respecting nature.

The fresco will be displayed at Stormont Estate from June 14 as part of the Belfast Photo Festival.

The hands of people from Belfast are the photographic base of the artworks, advocating solidarity, dialogue and friendship beyond geographical and societal constraints around the world.

Belfast is the latest of 30 cities across five continents participating in the large-scale art installation, with previous iterations appearing in Ouagadougou, Paris, Geneva, Dubai among others.

Michael Weir, director of the Belfast Photo Festival, said: “Saype’s artworks are best perceived by drone, a lens in the sky, opening up questions how we access an art piece, even when the vantage point is out of our physical reach.

“Due to the fleeting lifespan of his art, photography is an integral part of the process, capturing the tangible presence and preserving its message for people to enjoy, even when the physical piece has long disappeared.”

Swiss Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Markus Leitner, added: “Saype’s message of global connectivity and sustainability is part of a number of activities we are organising and supporting in the context of the Embassy’s #WeAreSwitzerland tour in the United Kingdom.”

The Beyond Walls Project is accessible to the public from June 14 for around two to three weeks.