Big Fish, Belfast

Big Fish is an artwork by John Kindness. Camlins organised a competitive artist selection and managed the commission of the successful artist. The resulting giant salmon on Donegall Quay has become one of the best loved and most photographed landmarks of Belfast. It celebrates the return of salmon to the River Lagan to breed. The surface of the fish is covered with decorated ceramic tiles, displaying a kaleidoscopic array of imagery depicting the compelling past and present of Belfast. The crazed arrangement of the scales is reminiscent of a great collection of unearthed china fragments. The creature is presented formally, as an unfeasibly impressive catch. It consists of a steel frame covered with expanded mesh coated with glass reinforced concrete. The tail and fins are blue patinated bronze castings. The orange glass eyes contain photographic views of Donegall Quay taken with a fish eye lens. Camlins collaborated with the artist closely on the setting for the artwork and the lighting.

Client

Laganside Corporation

Date

1999

Team

John Kindness, artist