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Huge Titanic Quarter #TimeMatters grass art clock raises alarm on pancreatic cancer symptoms
Spectacular aerial pictures of a huge and unique piece of grass art beside NI’s iconic Titanic Belfast building have been created by local charity NIPANC to mark this year’s #TimeMatters campaign during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
Captured by drone footage from the sky, the remarkable images show a giant alarm clock cut out of a field in the Titanic Quarter as a dramatic reminder to people that time really does matter when it comes to pancreatic cancer.
Now in its third year #TimeMatters runs throughout November to mark Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month #PCAM. It encourages members of the public and the medical community to know the symptoms of the disease and be persistent in seeking early diagnosis and treatment.
NIPANC employed the talents of internationally acclaimed sand and grass artist Sean Corcoran from Waterford to create the show stopping image.
Corcoran used string to map out the 200-foot clock and 363 foot long #TimeMatters logo, then a team of local gardeners spent two days carefully strimming and cutting it out.
Last year Corcoran, who runs The Art Hand in Waterford, created a striking piece of sand art at Downhill beach on the North Coast to mark the now annual Northern Ireland campaign.
He says: “I’m delighted to be able to work with NIPANC this year again.
“With this November being Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month #PCAM, we thought we’d shake things up a bit and create a statement piece in a really impressive location.
“Can you even think of a more prestigious place than Titanic Belfast on the River Lagan?
“I prepared a scaled drawing of the layout in advance. It needed to be a simple and striking graphic. It was vital that the messaging itself would resonate with people in a meaningful way.
“Positioning the #TimeMatters wording across the alarm clock meant we could get the maximum impact from the available space.
“In the end the lettering ended up being 363 foot long and the alarm clock is over 200 foot in diameter!
“My friend Joe and I laid out the design using string and measuring tapes. The perimeter of the clock and each of the letters were highlighted using white string. Crosnacreevy Nurseries did all the mowing and strimming. The groundwork and filming was completed in three days.
“Then Speed Motion Films got up in the sky and it magically appeared from the heavens with the drone shot.”
NIPANC president, retired Pancreatic Surgeon Mr Tom Diamond, said: “This year’s stunning grass art installation next to Titanic Belfast was filmed on one of the most iconic locations on the island of Ireland.
“It will really help to drive our key #TimeMatters message home. Our sincere thanks to Titanic Quarter Limited and Titanic Belfast for their co-operation and support in making this happen.
“While the campaign will create awareness of the need for people to get symptoms checked out we will also be delivering a message of hope this year by showcasing the stories of survivors of pancreatic cancer, medical best practice and new technologies and treatments.
“We want the public to know people can and do survive pancreatic cancer and the prognosis can be improved if our campaign advice is followed.”
Find out more about the symptoms of pancreatic cancer nipanc.org/symptoms
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