city of culture
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The pinnacle of recent development has been the erection of the Peace Bridge and the new landscaping of the adjacent Ebrington Barracks. This is a radical and confident design set within a strong historic context which uses its backdrop to show the new insertions to full advantage. The announcement of the UK City of Culture 2013 allowed all of this recent effort to be displayed to a wider audience. It was a good time to do this as the city was looking better and acting more confidently than it has in many years.
Whatever the legacy, however, the place will remain. The remnants of the current efforts to improve it will, in time, become a reflection of the early twenty-first century. The marks of today will contribute to the heritage of tomorrow and, if chosen well, will make a positive contribution to the character of the place. The Jazz festival shows how such character can be exploited to provide a fine backdrop for an important civic and income generating event. Erected in March 2013 in a wooded glade near the ancient St Brecan’s Church in the Waterside, a statue of St Columba was designed to be part of a pilgrimage and tourist trail connecting sites of Christian heritage within the city. However, it can also be understood as a representation of the exciting potential and long history of the city being handed on to a new generation to make its mark. It is over to the current generation to make the most of what it has been given. |
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