Belfast Archives - 1854 Photography

‘We should understand how easily people are affected by wars’: Documenting the intergenerational trauma of The Troubles

Photojournalist Mariusz Smiejek has spent much of his life attempting to understand conflict in the North of Ireland. His Belfast exhibition shows the lasting impact of the violence

27 October 2023

From activism to A.I. and Orwellian surveillance to climate change: The public installations on show at this year’s Belfast Photo Festival

Running until 30 June, the 2021 programme examines a provocative array of future(s) against the backdrop of Belfast

23 June 2021

Alexandra Lethbridge has been named the winner of the Belfast Photo Festival 2021 Spotlight Award

Lethbridge’s The Archive of Gesture utilises found images, still life photography and digital interventions to explore the role of gesture in communication

1 June 2021

Belfast Photo Festival 2021 imagines the possible future(s) of humanity

“In our era of pandemics, climate chaos, global migration and political turmoil, we believe there has never been a more important time to connect audiences to the work artists are making”

24 May 2021

Crossing the Peace Walls of Belfast with Josh Adam Jones

“People might not have a lot, but they will give you what they can. That’s true of so many Irish people. They’re a very warm and friendly and welcoming people. They will tell you stories and their lives and give you their time.” Josh Adam Jones, a student at the University of West England, Bristol, developed his project 99 Peace Walls whilst volunteering at Belfast’s photo festival this summer. The youth of the city helped him to understand the divides that are still ingrained into the culture there, and how, in spite of this, there is a warm community to be found throughout the city.

12 September 2017

Chad Alexander's Entries to Northern Ireland

From the dimly-lit back alleys of Belfast, right into the interiors of its inhabitants’ homes, Chad Alexander’s graduation project Entries takes us on a reflective journey through the streets where he grew up. The 27-year-old first picked up a camera after seeing an exhibition that combined scenes of the Northern Ireland conflict with vignettes of daily life; he has since been developing his own take on documentary in this series. “It was work that I had always wanted to make, but until that point I wasn’t exactly sure how to approach it,” he explains.