It’s turned out nice again with Thomas Wells
Location: Portview Trading Centre, Belfast
Date: Wednesday 20th November
Time: starts 6.00pm
Photo credit: David Copeland 2024 [taken at MANTLE 30 years of Catalyst Arts 2024 with Alastair MacLennan Sandra Johnston, Emma Brenna and Thomas Wells]
"It's Turned Out Nice Again" is an installation and performance that culminates two years of practice in East Belfast, inspired by local film director Brian Desmond Hurst (1895–1986). Born in the shadows of Belfast’s industrial heritage, Brian went on to become one of Hollywood's leading film directors of the 1940s and '50s (e.g., Theirs is the Glory, 1946; Scrooge, 1951). Openly queer, Brian Desmond Hurst lived a charismatic life, fuelled by the opportunity to escape a life of abject poverty in Belfast and dream of new possibilities across the world. Surviving some of the greatest atrocities of World War I, Brian recognised the importance of enjoying lives eccentricities, having been rumoured to have uttered, "If only I had had one more bottle of champagne," as his last words from his ‘peppercorn’ rented Belgravia flat in West London.
This new work, located in Portview Trading Estate (formerly The Strand Spinning Mill), weaves together queer and working-class histories through seemingly incongruous assemblages to evoke nostalgic narratives. For me, It's Turned Out Nice Again (an anthem of Northern English working-class culture thanks to George Formby) inserts my Mancunian roots into the heart of East Belfast, reflecting the similarities between two post-industrial ‘powerhouses,’ to quote George Osborne! These similarities seep into familial relationships, gestures of affection, and influences of popular culture.
It's Turned Out Nice Again brings together cross-generational materials that reflect the experience of navigating the 'coming-of-age' period of sensitivity and isolation. Some of this source material includes references to love letters between grandparents while separated, discussing films they had seen in the cinema in the 1950s (Calamity Jane, 1953; The Deep Blue Sea, 1955), footage from The New Union just before its opening (Manchester’s oldest LGBTQ+ bar, established in 1865), a hand-me-down/up-cycled Ted Baker shirt from circa 1998, a thrifted chair from Lavery’s with original chewing gum (date unknown), a closed cruising opportunity despite signage at Gatwick Airport (2024), and thrifted club lounge chairs in Urmston, Manchester (2024).
As part of the exhibition, there will be a live performance on Wednesday, 20th November, from 6 p.m.
Thomas Wells is an artist based in Belfast, originally from Manchester (1987). They have been working in the north of Ireland since 2017, both as an independent practitioner and as part of the Belfast-based Array Collective. Their work explores spaces of LGBTQ+ shared experiences, often referencing autobiographical material from their own life—growing up in a working-class ‘Catholic’ household with proud Irish and Mancunian roots.
Thomas would like to thank Ruth McCarthy for her continued support with Outburst Queer Arts Festival, the team at Outburst, and the support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Special thanks also to Peter Glasgow, David Copeland, and Sighle, Phil, Jane, Tim, Celeste, Derek, and Katie for your on-hand support.