A Space for Art in Post-agreement Environments: The Case of Belfast

The boundary between the built environment and social reality in post-agreement environments is difficult to distinguish. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, now over two decades since the Good Friday Agreement, the legacy of the Troubles remains. Over time these environments transform, changing what is inscribed and erased, created and contested; public art is often an element of these spaces and can become a dominant fixture in a city’s visual landscape. Such spaces are where different social groups become visible to each other, publicly proclaiming their identities, communicating and interacting. Public spaces become mirrored representations of the society in which they exist. In this, public art and space play an essential role in the symbolic perpetuation or challenging of cultures of violence. By exploring Belfast, this article examines the relationship between public space and art and how it can help further our understanding of post-agreement environments