A Belfast-based artist is spending roughly 100 hours creating a new mural that captures the music, landmarks and familiar faces of this year’s Fleadh.
Danni Simpson is painting the detailed piece live beneath the rainbow umbrellas in Commercial Court, opposite the Duke of York, throughout the eight-day festival.
“It’s going to take me around 100 hours to actually paint this, and that doesn’t include the time it took me to illustrate it in the first place,” she tells The Irish News.
“I always love to be able to tell a story within my illustrations. I think that’s my job as an artist: to work out what the story is.
“This one is all about the Fleadh.”
Artist Danni Simpson puts some finishing touches to her new canvas on Commercial Court in Belfast. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
Danni, who is originally from the Gold Coast, moved to Belfast seven and a half years ago after initially coming to Northern Ireland to visit family.
She soon fell in love with the city and has since populated its cafés, bars and public spaces with her increasingly recognisable murals and illustrations.
Her latest work places Commercial Court at the centre of the Fleadh celebrations, with crowds of musicians performing beneath its famous umbrellas.
The Harp Bar, the Duke of York, the Dark Horse and the Friend at Hand whiskey shop all appear, alongside members of staff and other familiar faces from the street.
“I wanted to have all of the pubs, the live music and then also the area here where I’m based,” Danni explains.
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Artist Danni Simpson puts some finishing touches to her new canvas on Commercial Court in Belfast. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“This is my studio and we’re part of a really lovely community of creatives and local businesses, so I wanted to showcase that.
“Of course, Willie Jack has become involved in this, which is amazing,” she says, referring to the veteran Belfast publican who runs the iconic bars around Commercial Court.
“We’ve worked at being able to add his staff and all of the familiar faces that you’ll see when you come down for a pint.”
Danni is aiming to finish the mural by the end of the Fleadh on Sunday.
Rather than creating it privately before presenting the finished work, she wanted festivalgoers to be able to watch the process unfold.
We’re used to all of this fast art and AI sort of stuff, so being able to see real, human art and the process behind it is really important
“It’s nice for kids to be able to come down and see someone actually painting,” she says.
“I’m just trying to work at a good pace each day, adding maybe one or two buildings, and then as the week progresses, hopefully I’ll have it finished.”
Working section by section also helps to break up the lengthy process involved in completing such a detailed piece.
Artist Danni Simpson puts some finishing touches to her new canvas on Commercial Court in Belfast. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“If I was to paint the full thing and then do the line work, it would take a long time,” Danni explains.
“At least when I’m doing it section by section, I feel like I’m actually getting stuff done because it does take hours.”
The live painting is also intended to highlight the work and time involved in handmade art at a point when images can increasingly be generated almost instantly.
“We’re used to all of this fast art and AI sort of stuff, so being able to see real, human art and the process behind it is really important,” she says.
This year’s festival is Danni’s first experience of the Fleadh.
After walking around Belfast on Sunday, she was struck by the way the event had transformed streets and spaces across the city.
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Artist Danni Simpson puts some finishing touches to her new canvas on Commercial Court in Belfast. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“I love it,” she enthuses.
“It was really good to see Belfast come alive.
“All of the spaces that perhaps haven’t even been used in years have suddenly become really vibrant.
“It goes to show what you can do with the city when we support all of the small businesses that are working really hard to make it such a lovely event.”
The response from locals and visitors has added to the experience, with some returning several times to see how the mural has progressed.
“The response has been amazing,” Danni says.
“I’ve had so much really good feedback, and people have just sat there for hours having a pint and watching it slowly come together, or they’ve come back the next day.
Artist Danni Simpson puts some finishing touches to her new canvas on Commercial Court in Belfast. PICTURE: BRIAN LINCOLN
“Then you have live music here. I couldn’t pick a better spot to be painting from.”
Danni hopes her completed Fleadh piece will eventually find a permanent home somewhere in Belfast.
In the meantime, prints, stickers, magnets and T-shirts featuring the design are available from her Commercial Court pop-up and online throughout the remainder of the festival.
Visitors can also personalise prints with their name, a date or a message.
“They can make it one of their own,” Danni says.
“They can take it home so they feel like they have a little bit of the Belfast flair in their home once they leave.”
For more information visit dannisimpsonart.com.