Street Art Sector Consultation

CLIENT - Belfast City Council

Sometimes, we hesitantly call ourselves Creative Consultants. (The word sometimes refers to overpriced experts fleecing the system)

But, we like to consult.

To meet people, hear there opinions, have conversations, understand more and take advice.

And then present that information in a helpful way to those who make decisions.

So that better decisions get made.

Belfast City Council passed a motion to support the street art scene. Daisy Chain Inc. was subsequently commissioned to facilitate a consultation with the street art community to identify tangible ways the council can implement this motion. On December 5th, 2023, we met with more than 13 local artists to discuss the current state of the local street art scene, the ways in which it thrives, and where it would benefit from the council’s support.

The consultation used an experimental conversational format and was split into two parts to allow for small and big group discussions.

In the first part, five people sat around a central table with an additional empty chair. While they discussed, the rest of the room was encouraged to actively listen. As the conversation developed, new participants would jump over to the empty chair, and someone else would leave, and the conversation would continue. In the second part, all participants sat around a circle and, having heard the earlier conversation, took turns to share what they considered most needed and pressing.

We facilitated the flow of conversation, trying to make sure we were hearing all the voices.

We listened, took notes and asked questions.

An additional write-up board was also provided for those who preferred to communicate in writing.

From this, we wrote our report and our recommendations. 

Below is taken from the beginning of the conclusion of our report:

Perhaps the first place to start with the conclusion was the sense that the

artists in the room were not just happy to work with the Council, but there

was almost a sense of relief that, finally, they were being taken seriously.

There’s an energy and an enthusiasm that only comes from a grassroots

movement, which is in and of itself an asset to the city.