A Manifesto for the Alleys – Manifesto Launch

Adopt the manifesto and occupy the alleys!

We call on alleyway activists, decision makers, artists, social researchers, urbanists and curious onlookers.

Join 9ft in Common as we launch A Manifesto for the Alleys, the culmination of years of research into the social and spatial potential of Belfast’s alleyways.

This final public gathering in our Belfast 2024 programme will premiere the film A Manifesto for the Alleys, created by videographer Simon Mills, who has been documenting the 9ft in Common project since 2020.

Attendees will receive a special limited-edition risograph print of the manifesto, designed by artist-run initiative Soft Fiction Projects.

9ft in Common will share stories and findings, themed around the Manifesto’s nine points, illustrating the potential of these over looked and leftover spaces.

We will be joined by guest Phineas Harper, who will leave us with a provocation, before we embark on a closing procession to deliver the Manifesto to nearby Wildflower Alley, symbolically bringing the manifesto back to the alleys and the people who make them unique.

Notes:

Special thanks to our friends at Ulster Museum and Wildflower Alley for hosting us.

The Ulster Museum is located in the Botanic Gardens and is easy to get to by public transport. Deatiled visting, transport and access information can be found on their website, here.

Welcome addresses will be given by Councillor Micky Murray, Lord Mayor of Belfast and Patricia Corbett a National Lottery Heritage Fund, Committee Member for Northern Ireland.

The gathering will involve a short 5-10 minute stroll to Wildflower Alley for refreshments, so please bring your coat and sensible shoes.

9ft in Common is a research project led and developed by Amberlea Neely of Starling Start and Aisling Rusk of Studio idir. It asks questions about the wider use of the alleyways for play, growth and connection across the city. 9ft in Common: A Manifesto for the Alleys is one of 17 locally-led projects which have been commissioned by Belfast 2024. It is a large-scale, collaborative investigation into the alleys that crisscross Belfast, prompting us to reconsider the possibilities lying just beyond our back gates.

Phineas Harper is an innovative leader in developing sustainable cultural programmes that engage broad audiences with architecture and design. A regular contributor to The Guardian, their career spans criticism, curation, education, youth work, journalism and sculpture.

Wildflower Alley is Belfast’s original alley garden transformation project, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025

Belfast 2024 is an ambitious cultural celebration for our city. It is presenting a wide programme of creative local projects, events and city initiatives in 2024 - made by the people of Belfast for the people of Belfast. For more details of the Belfast 2024 programme, visit belfast2024.co.uk