486: Bits of Belfast viewed from the Back of the car

"Balls on the Falls", Rise, by Wolfgang Buttress

We drove down the famous Falls Road where murals depicting things I know nothing about, turned left onto the A12, passing I guess Shankill Road nearby, then turned left again onto Clifton Street heading towards Crumlin Road and Antrim Road. On the roundabout, Carlisle Circus, from which Crumlin and Antrim roads begin, is a church in terrible state of disrepair. I didn't know any of these place names while exploring the locale from the back seat of the car, except Falls Road, and have found the rest of the places mentioned here from googlemaps and google street view.

As we moved down the A-road I saw a smallish spire with a fascinating series of geometric windows (I really don't posses the language to describe anything architectural, so I doubt I'll be able to convey what it was that drew me to it). As we turned onto Clifton Street I was able to catch a glimpse of the building up close. Adjoining buildings were named Orange Hall, and Indian Community Centre, and were in a middling state of disrepair meaning I couldn't really tell whether they were still in use or not.

The spire and church are a wonderful sad pile of stone, smashed windows and trees. The trees grow out from the stonework, above the doorways and out of every orifice, nook and cranny, giving the impression of a dishevelled old man in serious need of a shave and some care and attention.

Earlier in the journey I had seen RISE by Wofgang Buttress, the largest piece of public artwork in Belfast, commonly know as Balls on the Falls. It's a giant ball, reminiscent of a Bucky ball, with a smaller similarly constructed ball suspended inside. The whole thing rests on a bed of steel prongs like a bubble sitting on grass, or the sun rising viewed through a reed bed. It can be seen for miles around, and is beautiful. As good as, and infinitely more practical than the ridiculous B of the Bang sculpture formerly of Manchester, which began collapsing every time the wind picked up.