Denouement
The photographs strive to document what is widely considered to be a “transition stage” between the violence of the troubles and the relative peace of an imagined future. The subject is Belfast, as it is now. I was born in Scotland and at the age of three I moved to Belfast with my mother where I grew up in a household that was, as much as possible disassociated with sectarian activity.
These images attempt to create a feeling or an atmosphere rather than have a particular point of view or perspective. Everywhere there are echoes ; faded sectarian colours worn from kerbstones or lamp posts, new housing developments in areas known as ‘flashpoints’, bridging the hostile land formally divided by sectarianism. We see security cameras that are now regarded as a sign of peace, communities now accepting the watchful eye of the police. Some are images of areas previously overlooked as they lay unaffected throughout the troubles.
Although the aim of the work is to show this transitional state, it also acknowledges the recent history of violence. While encroaching are the elements of what claims to be a brighter future. They capture the current feeling of limbo, in the belief that this is an important turning point for Northern Ireland.
