Northern Ireland has joined a number of European countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Greece to host The Disappearing Wall, an interactive art installation which celebrates Europe’s diversity of languages and ideas.
Appointed by Urban Scale Interventions, Marcon was responsible for the manufacture and installation of the plexiglas frame wall and the manufacture of 6,000 wooden blocks laser etched with famous quotes collected from across Europe by the Goethe-Institut earlier this year.
“We thoroughly enjoyed playing a role in bringing The Disappearing Wall to Belfast,” says Mark McElroy, director at Marcon. “For Belfast to host an international programme such as this is a great achievement. We wish everyone involved with the project every success and look forward to seeing the wall disappear.”
The wall has been produced by Urban Scale Interventions in partnership with Catalyst Arts, who delivered a month series of workshop and engagement around themes of breaking down boundaries.
Visitors are invited to each take home a block, with the wall gradually disappearing day by day until only the clear Plexiglas grid that held them remains. Blocks contain one of a wide range of quotes from the likes of Albert Einstein, Adorno, Rosa Luxemburg, Sartre and Jonas Mekas. Other inscriptions include Beatles’ lyrics and lines from Winnie the Pooh or the film Amélie.
“Encouraging visitors to take away inspirational and thought-provoking quotes and therefore dismantling the wall to leave a clear view across the city symbolises how we can come together to break any barriers that are holding us back,” notes Jak Spencer, CEO of Urban Scale Interventions.
Those unable to visit The Disappearing Wall in Belfast between October 21st and November 11th can register interest in receiving a block here.
The Disappearing Wall is one of several projects that the Goethe-Institut is carrying out for Germany’s EU Council Presidency and as part of the Federal government’s cultural programme in Europe. With different topics and target groups, the projects are devoted to the overarching question of what will constitute Europe in future and how the European community and cohesion can be strengthened.
The Disappearing Wall is backed by the Federal Foreign Office with special funds for the German EU Council Presidency 2020. In Northern Ireland, the installation is supported by Catalyst Arts, Urban Scale Interventions and the Titanic Foundation.
More information on the Disappearing Wall’s tour of Europe, including dates and locations, can be found here.
