I accept there is no hint of controversy over builder’s / farm labour’s / pop icon’s bum about Rihanna’s appearance in a farmer’s field edging the main Belfast to Bangor Road, but, the point is, it could have been worse! After all, art’s engagement with the countryside does tend to be a celebration of nature in its purest, or rawest, form – D.H.Lawrence springs to mind, or Renoir’s 1883 Reclining Nude; our libraries and museums are full of Mother Nature Meets Nudity.
What sprung to mind at Ballyrobert appears to have been a body part somewhere north of the rump, and in fairness, it was the farmer’s land, and if the farmer felt he was not happy with this unusual and unexpected Harvest offering, then he is perfectly entitle to nip matters in the bud. The problem was that the misunderstanding arose in the first place, particularly in the context of Tuesday’s politics.
Irony Number One was that the farmer is a DUP Alderman, who took action as two of his Assembly colleagues brought forward a debate at Stormont calling for more roadside signage to highlight the rural economy. What, I ask, could be a more effective a piece of roadside advertising that the performing art of a pop icon? Who among us who heard it, will not hold close to our bosom the memory of the BBC Radio Ulster’s Traffic and Travel announcement of major traffic disruption on the A2, as rubber-neckers strained to catch a glimpse of ... the creative arts.
Yes, the creative arts! Irony Number Two is that the Assembly was also hearing a report from the First Minister on his latest trip to the United States of America, in which he highlighted his continued good work in attracting the creative arts to Northern Ireland. This is truly good news, as I see it – an exciting, modern, vibrant sector of the private sector that offers relevant, high-reward job opportunities.
We have the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards coming to Belfast in November, and another major MTC music concert planned for the Titanic Slipway next year. This is real progress. I remember accompanying a music promoter to the shipyard 20 years ago, seeking permission for a MTV concert from the same venue, as part of the Belfast 1991 Celebrations. Harland and Wolff were keen, until the Titanic Slipway was mentioned as the intended venue; they threw us out when they heard that. So, attitudes have changed, for the better. Personally, I wouldn’t have argued if we had made more of the centenary of the launch than the sinking, but we are where we are.
Where we are with the creative arts has never been a particularly comfortable place for some. The problem today is the world is instantly abreast to Rihanna’s misfortune, thanks to the social media.. The big national news on Tuesday was split between two highly paid performers. One, Carlos Tevez, was in trouble for sitting on his backside; the other was being castigated for shaking hers. Neither is good news for the hosts.
I hope our Nobel Laureate feels a poem coming on. Given there will be much filming in and around Belfast when the MTV awards hit town, may I make so bold as to suggest a title to Seamus Heaney: Look Away Now.