Bill Rolston published the first volume of Drawing Support in 1992. This included images of his 100 murals from the last 10 years. Thirty years later, Volume 5 has just been published. Feyre en Fobile Event Rolston talks about his never-ending ‘mural hunt’ with muralist recollections Danny Deveny.
Claire Hackett welcomed the audience, and in addition to the latest and previous volumes of Drawing Support sold here, Rolson is co-author, with Robbie McVeigh, of the more scholarly book Ireland, Colonialism and the Unfinished Revolution. I told you something.
“As far as I’m concerned, Bill was the first person to record a mural,” Hackett said. Rolston qualified this by saying there were other people taking pictures of the mural with him, such as photojournalists, but unlike them, “I just kept doing it.”
Rolston explained that the reason he didn’t title the first volume “Drawing Support 1” was because he never intended to publish a second volume. After a draft of his book was rejected by a number of publishers, he and friend Mike Tomlinson launched their own publisher, Beyond the Pale (which went bankrupt 12 years ago but will be back in 2021). established).
As to where the book’s title comes from, Rolston reveals that he once interviewed Republican activist Kes Mervyn about what Sinn Fein thinks about his mural. H block. Now he meant mobilizing support, which I thought was the perfect metaphor. “
Each of the five volumes deals with a different era, and in each volume Rolston focuses on a particular theme. Volume 5 is subtitled ‘Murals, Memory and Identity in Northern Ireland’. Now, and there is something more modern that says who we are.
By way of illustration, Rolston reviewed the murals in three main sections of the book: Loyalists, Republicans, and Others.
“Loyalists have literally painted themselves around every inch with military-themed murals,” said Rolston, adding that since such murals serve as a recruitment vehicle for local paramilitary commanders, “what It is a great challenge to paint or anything else’. Rolson noted the proliferation of murals depicting World War I as an evolution of military themes. Yet he was intrigued by murals of paramilitary men who took their own lives, Duke his Elliott and Tommy Heron. Finally, Rolston said his supporters have called for “displays” such as images of the Queen processed in his Photoshop and then pasted onto metal plates, with items painted freehand directly onto boards and walls. I distinguished it from the “wall painting” as.
Rolston claimed that the Masked Men Republican murals were produced by “anti-Republicans” (Rolston is an offensive term). There are heavy references to history, short and long, such as Djents, Hunger Strikers, and 1916 iconography. Murals depicting Che Guevara and Palestinians and other conflict areas such as Yemen.
As for “other murals,” Rollston said the pandemic had affected many exhibits, but not so many. We singled out one mural in Glenvale Park, depicting NHS personnel holding a physical flag in a manner reminiscent of the US Marines carrying the American flag (immortalized at the US Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington). Virginia State Cemetery). Rolston thought the mural “showed imagination”. He also noted the emergence of “street art” murals, such as those created as part of the annual Hit the North festival. He cited Dan Kitchener’s mural on Shankill Road, which depicts a geisha.
Summarizing the scope of his work, Rolston said:
“I’m a mural hunter. I’m a mural photographer. I love how it got out of hand.”
He added that he was able to go to other places to see the murals, including Chile, Colombia, Sardinia, the Basque Country and Iran.
But Rolson may be a documentarian, but from the very beginning of his talk he recognized the creator of the art: the muralist. He invited him to address the audience, and he described Danny Deveny as the “anchor of the mural”.
Describing their symbiotic relationship, Deveny said that in the production of the book, “Bill was cornering the artwork and we were cornering the artist.” He described the mural itself as “free publicity” for his message message campaign.
“Like Bobby Sands, ‘everybody has a role to play,’ so muralists blindfolded themselves. Forty years later, Volume 5 came out, all with nice color photographs.” did [in the books], but this was not a game. There was no support from arts organizations. Most of the time there is no unveiling. But most of the time there was a threat. “
He cited the case of 16-year-old Michael McCartin, who, on July 24, 1980, was “shot dead by the RUC for carrying a can of white paint and a brush to show support for the IRA.” . Deveny also referred to a statement by the Loyalist Group declaring muralists to be “legitimate targets”.
Deveny complimented Rolston, saying it was “charming, sometimes hilarious, and mostly reminiscent of the dreaded days” thanks to the Drawing Support publication.
Gary Adams was the first audience member to comment, including an anecdote of the circumstances in which authorities could not do much about the Republican mural being painted, as property owners agreed. However, Deveny later refuted this by recalling another circumstance in which the resident agreed, but as a public housing tenant, RUC went to the housing manager with a letter saying that this violated residency. was created.
Rolston answered questions about balance and coverage. For example, he talks about giving tours to visiting American students, and when they walk from the “international wall” on Falls Road down Northumberland Street, it’s another world. ‘”
Devenny said their (Republican) mural is about what is being felt in the community, and this hasn’t changed. Examples are shown for the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, NHS support, and campaigns for Noah’s family. Donahue. Both Devenny and Rolston agreed with what the audience said.
Rolston concluded the event by considering why this communal subconscious is shown through mural art in some parts of the world, but not in others (though if someone in the audience , pointed out that the murder of George Floyd was the catalyst for global mural art). we). But Rolston added, “Once you start, you can take off,” perhaps in the future with his Beyond the Pale publication on American murals.
Image © Allan LEONARD @MrUlster
