Pretending to be plants in Alleyways…
At the start of the month we had the first meet-up of the Belfast alleyways project I’m involved with alongside 9ft In Common. It was hugely exciting to finally meet the residents and explore the alleyways that will be transformed into people friendly, growing spaces over the course of this year. The sun shone and it felt like spring as we chatted and wandered through the streets of Belfast, imagining we were plants and thinking about where we would be best placed for maximum growth!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the work of 9ftincommon.com, it’s a large-scale, city-wide collaborative investigation into the creative potential of the spaces beyond the back gate, stretching across the city from Ballyhackamore to Andersonstown, Newtownbreda to Ligoneil.
The project is part of Belfast 24 - an ambitious cultural celebration with a wide-ranging programme of creative local projects, events and city initiatives in 2024 - made by the people of Belfast, for the people of Belfast.
We held an open call for residents to put forward their alleyway for inclusion in the project, and three were selected. Eden Valley in North Belfast, Halstein Drive in East Belfast, and Deramore Avenue in South Belfast. A great mix of locations, with very different conditions for growing and at varying stages of their growing journey.
Some have gates, some don’t. Some of the alleys are “adopted” (the council has an obligation to maintain them), others are not. There are varying degrees of light, shade, space, and each group of residents have their own vision of what they would like to achieve. From growing grapes in greenhouses, to somewhere to sit and chat with neighbours, a space for children to play, or even a habitat to encourage wildlife - the possibilities and ideas are endless!
I love planning, but there’s nothing quite like getting out to see a project in real life. I’m dead excited about the season ahead and exploring all the potential. I hope that my own experiences on the farm will help residents to experiment with new crops and techniques, and kickstart their community growing journey. I just need to figure out how to best maximise the potential of each space with their varying scale, geometry, feel and general vibes being so different its definitely going to be a glorious challenge!
There will of course be a huge amount of work involved, and each project will rely on the goodwill of their local community and neighbours to get stuck-in to help achieve their ambitions. But having met such an amazing group of motivated enthusiastic people (and shared a rosemary beer with them!) I have no doubt their powers of persuasion, (and hugely positive can-do attitude) will ensure success! I’m looking forward to my next visit already!
Do you have an alleyway? Is it used for more than just bin storage? If so let me know your growing success stories (and failures) in the comments below! I’m keen to hear what you’ve been up to beyond your back gate!
Enjoying a rosemary beer with residents and the 9ft In Common gang, after a delightful afternoon touring alleyways in Belfast!