DRIFT

Commissioned by Belfast 2024 (Belfast City Council), the project had two aims: to create opportunities for people to connect to their river and to investigate possibilities for creating better public space at the water’s edge. Identifying that large stretches of the Lagan are disconnected from the city and not publicly accessible, the project allowed people to step onto the river and experience the water from a perspective usually reserved for rowers and boat-owners. A collaboration between the architects and sound artist Matilde Meireles, the pavilion amplified the multisensory experience of the river by inviting people to take time to experience being on the water. DRIFT was open to the public from ten until six every day that it was moored and during this time, visitors were welcome to use the pavilion as a public space with the option to listen to a sonic work created by Meireles. Five public “Listening Sessions” — live performances of site-specific work by Meireles — took place on the structure to further explore the sonic qualities of the locations. The materials used aimed to draw attention to the reciprocity between the river and human activity. Blue cotton rope referenced the nylon rope found wherever people are working with water. It also nodded to Belfast’s history of rope-making. Fabric screens with punched eyelets evoked tarpaulins and sails. The aluminium scaffold and brackets picked up the language of utilitarian river infrastructure. DRIFT draws attention to the potential of small, flexible, engaged urban projects along the Lagan. The city would gain enriching, accessible spaces and the whole river ecosystem would benefit from a more engaged public.