The streets of Pettigo were a sea of yellow last Saturday afternoon as people dressed in the bright colour came together for a waltz across the border.

The unique event was part of a participatory artwork entitled ‘Across and In-Between’ by American artist Suzanne Lacy. Within her work, Ms. Lacy investigates how the border frames identity and intervenes in the routine of everyday life. Her commissioned artwork will take the form of a film which will focus particularly on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic and will involve the communities that live there. It will feature five scenes filmed in various border locations around Fermanagh and will show groups of people making or drawing a yellow line across the landscape in a creative way.

People of all ages and backgrounds came together in Pettigo to take part in the filming which was directed by the artist and produced by Cian Smyth, along with the assistance of local arts ambassadors Dylan Quinn, Sally Rees and Helen Sharp. As filming commenced, participants were encouraged to don extravagant yellow garments and waltz across the Pettigo bridge which marks the border between Fermanagh and Donegal. As a live country band played to aid the dancing, a drone flew overhead to capture the visual of the numerous bodies moving back and forth across the border. The ‘waltz on the border’ event in Pettigo was the first of the five scenes being filmed on the Fermanagh border from August 25 to 28. The other scenes will include Scouts in yellow kayaks on the lake by Castle Saunderson, yellow kites flying over Cuilcagh, horses of Drumralla Stables in Newtownbutler racing along a yellow line and farmers in Magheraveely manoeuvring yellow-wrapped hay bales.

The artwork has been commissioned by 14-18 Now and Belfast International Arts Festival and will be presented at this year’s festival in Belfast in October.