‘There was no one else there but the stones’

Belfast Buildings Trust (BBT) is delighted to announce the second instalment of its ongoing ‘Engaging Art’ series, a project in collaboration with Vault Artist Studios in the former Carlisle Memorial Church, from Thursday 30 May, to Sunday 2 June 2024.

Inspired by discussions about Belfast’s future, BBT is commissioning some of the talented artists from Vault to create brand-new installation artworks that reflect the city’s spaces, places, and people. The works created will be staged in the north Belfast landmark as a way to involve Belfast people in exploring how they want to shape their city’s future.



‘Engaging Art’ continues with Jonathan Brennan’s ‘There was no one else there but the stones’. Jonathan’s work is about place: architectural and urban places, what is traditionally referred to as landscape, and how both interact. He is drawn to the less obvious, the neglected and the abandoned – alleyways, culverted rivers, wastelands, abandoned spaces and objects. Brennan’s work is not overtly political, but rather seeks to prompt the viewer to look with new eyes at the everyday and to consider the broader forces that seek to manipulate how we think and act.

‘There was no one else there but the stones’ will feature a short film telling the story of a forgotten chapter in Carlisle Memorial's history, some experimental photographs, and an interactive print.  

Opening hours:

• Thursday 30 May: 5:30pm-9:30pm.
  Open to the public, including a drinks reception 6-8pm.

• Friday 31 May: 10am-5pm.

• Saturday 1 June: 10am-5pm.

• Sunday 2 June: 10am-4pm.