A Belfast gallery has released its first-ever photobook which aims to “depict Northern Ireland in a very honest and raw way”.
Belonging, from Belfast Exposed, offers a glimpse into the lives of our communities through the lenses of talented local photographers.
“Belfast Exposed has been around for 40 years now, so we knew we wanted to do something to commemorate that,” CEO Deirdre Robb told The Irish News.
“We’ve started to get the archive digitised and it was during that process we started thinking about how we could get it out to the people and make it accessible because it’s such a wealth of social history.
More: Capturing 40 years of Belfast Exposed
“And that’s when we decided to start putting a photobook together and how we’ve ended up with Belonging.”
Celebrating everyday life in Belfast and featuring images taken between 1992 and 2004, the 90-page book brings together images from the gallery’s extensive collection capturing shared moments of togetherness, resilience, and connection across the city’s neighbourhoods.
From lively street gatherings and intimate family moments to bustling markets and vibrant festivals, the book is a tribute to the people of Belfast who Deirdre described as “the heartbeat of the city”.
“We really wanted it to have a Belfast feel about it and because of that we selected a mix of images ranging from quite hard-hitting stuff to more fun and cheeky pictures.
“We wanted to show a more positive side of Belfast – which is actually why Belfast Exposed was started in the first place.”
The gallery was set up by renowned Belfast photographer Sean McKernan and community activist Danny Burke in 1983.
Initially planned to be an exhibition of photography which reflected life in Belfast from the inside, its success enabled Belfast Exposed to expand and grow into the thriving visual arts organisation it is today.
“We’ve always wanted to show the other side; Belfast Exposed first came about because the world media were projecting this really negative view of the city across the whole world.
“But people here were just getting on with things and they were having a laugh, having fun and coping with the situation – it was difficult, but people needed a way to survive.
“That’s what the original Belfast Exposed exhibition aimed to highlight and it’s something we wanted capture in the book as well.
More: Visual artist Victor Sloan on the influences behind his new Belfast Exposed exhibition
“There’s good representation of all of the communities in it but we think the wee cheeky bits of fun scattered throughout help make it a bit more interesting and hopefully the people who buy it relate to that aspect of it.”
The book offers a real sense of Belfast and its social history but it’s not coming from that entirely negative standpoint. It reminds us that no matter where we’re from or what challenges we face, there’s always a place where we can belong
— Deirdre Robb
Deirdre explained that one of her favourite images from the book is the final picture of lollipop lady Freda Kelly.
“We thought the fact it said ‘stop’ made it quite fitting picture to end on,” she laughs.
“It was wonderful though because we were able to track Freda down and she was able to come to the launch.
“It also turned out that she actually took part in one of our community workshops in the past, so she felt really to the gallery which just made it even more fun and meaningful.
“The response in general has been so positive, people really seem to understand that book is something special.”
She revealed that Belonging is the first of a six-book series which the gallery will release over the next few years.
“We always knew we wanted it to be a series,” Deirdre said.
“So Belonging is the first of a series of six and then I thought it could be a collector’s item so not only will they all be visually stunning, but the feel and the quality will also be brilliant.
“I just think it’s a really amazing thing to have because it offers a real sense of Belfast and its social history but it’s not coming from that entirely negative standpoint.
“It reminds us that no matter where we’re from or what challenges we face, there’s always a place where we can belong.”
