Graffiti Bales

S.B.A is focused on a number of innovative rural initiatives including Gate Weaving, Graffiti Bales, Barn Murals and Limerick Lanes all of which have been designed to add artistic merit to the local landscape and to inspire and engage with farming communities.

By using existing features such as barn walls, 6 bar metal gates on the entrances to fields, concrete lanes and silage bales Sliabh Beagh Arts have utilized the resources available in abundance within our rural setting. Project such as Graffiti Bales have brought Rural Arts to forefront and ensured that creativity remains an integral part of rural life. Artist Kev Largey has captured the imagination of local people young and old with his quirky characters appearing on bales across the Sliabh Beagh area. Funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland the project is in its 2nd year of life, with the view to continuing into the future.

In June 2016 Kev began work on his first set of bales along the main A4 Belfast road just outside Fivemiletown….a vivid burst of colour and character, the bales attracted attention as far a field as Canada and have certainly captured the imagination of local people. The images went viral within one week of being unveiled with people stating the project has ‘put the Culture into Agriculture’. The response to the work has been amazing, people constantly stopping at the site, questioning, experimenting with the spray cans, taking photographs with their kids…this is what the project is all about!

Kev Largey has thoroughly enjoyed the process "I get lots of beeps from passing cars," he said. "People come up and ask me what I'm doing. They also want to take photographs. It's been very positive."

The switch from painting walls to painting silage bales took a little time but, armed with his spray paints, he has converted the huge black plastic wrapped bales into something to smile about. "I normally do walls and buildings. Black plastic is a bit different," he said. "The paintings on the bales are transitory and will mirror the farming cycle, but that is part of the beauty of the entire process. The art work should prove a little food for thought for the local livestock too. It's not often you get such colorful wraps on your dinner.

The graffiti bales project continues it success with stacks of bales appearing around the area imminently…waiting patiently for the sun to shine and hay to be made!

Graffiti Bales Cooneen Co Fermanagh