Culture Bus - Poetry in Motion
5 August 2004
From Monday (9th August) the next time you take a Citybus (now Metro) you could well become a culture vulture, particularly if New Belfast Community Arts Initiative (NBCAI) have their way, the organisation has worked with Translink to place a selection of poems chosen from public submissions on 125 Citybuses which operate across Belfast.
Mark Madden from New Belfast Community Arts Initiative explains; “Most cities of any size nowadays put poetry on their public spaces and transport. This is the third year that Poetry in Motion has run this initiative with Citybus (now Metro) which helps keep poetry as a public art and brighten people’s journeys. New Belfast is the largest Community Arts organisation in Belfast, working in all mediums and providing workshops and training in some of the most socially excluded areas of Belfast. Initiatives like this help focus attention on the work we do using arts to aid social regeneration.”
Jim Forsythe, Citybus (now Metro) Controller said; “We congratulate Mark and his colleagues on bringing poetry into a very public arena. It’s a pleasure to work on a project such as this, when you’re travelling on a bus you’ve time to think, reflect and look around, so having these poems to read will help to enhance our passenger’s journey. Congratulations to the five poets whose submissions were chosen by NBCAI.”
The project was also supported by advertiser VIACOM Outdoor, Richard Harris from VIACOM commented; “This project is unique and VIACOM are proud lend our support, and what better way of displaying the vibrant literary talent in the city, than on a Citybus.”
The new poems have been chosen from public submissions; all five are from local poets. The design of the poster poems has been carefully created so that when placed in sequence they come together to create a panoramic view of the Belfast Hills.
ENDS
Issued by Sarah Stanczyk, Translink’s Public Relations Officer 028 90 899 455
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Stumbleupon