Building Metropolis: Painting at Boomtown

Sometimes opportunities find you at just the right time. Boomtown is pretty legendary, even on the Irish circuit. I applied for set building work in the Spring, but it looked like they were full up. In August, just as I finished work for the Paul Mellon Centre and took a dive into the unknown world of freelancing, I got an email asking whether I could come help out on the Metropolis Area build. I’d just gotten a new job at Open City Doc Fest, but with some wrangling I managed to spend three weekends on site with the crew.

Metropolis Emblem

If you’ve not been, Boomtown is imagined as a City, in which there are themed areas or towns, each with their own stage, vibes and build crew. Metropolis is imagined as a utopian future falling into disrepair, which build/design/crew/everything manager Jody Schofield concocted with a nod to 20th century Futurism.

Zenith Stage, Metropolis

I’d been on build team for Knockanstockan in the past, but the scale of Boomtown was just immense in comparison. But spending long days painting in Britain’s hottest summer on record was like a dream. My only regret is not being able to commit to a few solid weeks on-site, (and maybe a better tent). Coming and going felt strange, when whole swathes of the arena appeared since you left.

I learned how to use a rail saw, match colours on swatch board, correctly climb a ladder on a hill and got enough recommendations that I’ve decided to take a leap and sit a five-week scenic painting course in the New Year. Scared and excited in equal measure.

Without a doubt, the best part of being on-site was the Metropolis Crew. Huge thanks to Jody, Saffron and the core crew for having me down for the build. I promise next year I can hack the heat and stick it out the whole way through!! My lasting impression of build, was the sea of hi-vis jackets. A couples weeks after the festival, I produced a series of posca marker portraits inspired by a few legends from the fields near Winchester.