Exposure therapy: Natural Connections exhibition

Exposure therapy: Natural Connections exhibition by Allan LEONARD 17 June 2021 Belfast Exposed launched its exhibition, “Natural Connections”, which showcases 60 shortlisted images, from over 1,400 received. The competition ran earlier this year, asking people to submit images that represented connections with nature, which “sustained, surrounded, supported, and encouraged people and communities” during the pandemic. … Continue reading Exposure therapy: Natural Connections exhibition

Documenting natural connections through photography

Documenting natural connections through photography by Allan LEONARD 10 April 2021 Melanie Law, who has just joined the Eve Blair Show on BBC Radio Ulster, interviewed Christopher Barr and me for her inaugural feature (at 26:00). The discussion was on photography and a competition that Belfast Exposed is hosting, in conjunction with Translink and Arts … Continue reading Documenting natural connections through photography

Book review — A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen)

Book review: A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen) by Allan LEONARD 29 December 2020 Occasionally I am approached for an image to be used in a book publication. Recently, this was for one that I made of a mural celebrating the television series, Derry Girls. Disclosure: I granted permission, with payment, for the … Continue reading Book review — A Pocket History of Northern Ireland (Richard Killeen)

Altered Context: A New Parameters project

Altered Context: A New Parameters project by Allan LEONARD 20 July 2020 New Parameters was an online engagement project, with participants creating images of their responses to the arrival and presence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. The Nerve Centre hosted collaboration, through video calls and the online platform, Slack. The following is my … Continue reading Altered Context: A New Parameters project

Book review — Anna Lo: The Place I Call Home

Book review: Anna Lo: The Place I Call Home by Allan LEONARD 15 August 2019 Anna Lo writes with a crisp and concise manner, demonstrating her fine skills in English that she makes reference to in her memoir. The Place I Call Home is a chronological story, from her childhood to current retirement. It gives … Continue reading Book review — Anna Lo: The Place I Call Home

“In my imagination, it was true”: Margins of Excess exhibition talk by Max Pinckers

“In my imagination, it was true”: Margins of Excess exhibition artist talk by Max Pinckers by Allan LEONARD 14 June 2019 As part of the Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast Exposed is hosting an exhibition of Margins of Excess, by Max Pinckers. The artist gave a talk about this project in the gallery, describing how he … Continue reading “In my imagination, it was true”: Margins of Excess exhibition talk by Max Pinckers

Belfast Exposed exhibition talk: Post Truth: The new normal of the undefined, abstract, and make believe

Belfast Exposed exhibition talk: Post Truth: The new normal of the undefined, abstract, and make believe by Allan LEONARD 30 May 2019 Belfast Exposed is hosting a group exhibition displaying the work of graduate students of the MFA Photography programme at Ulster University (UU). The theme is “Post Truth”, which aims to explore how we … Continue reading Belfast Exposed exhibition talk: Post Truth: The new normal of the undefined, abstract, and make believe

Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral)

Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral) by Allan LEONARD 26 May 2019 Released in hardcover in August 2018 and now available in paperback, The Colour of Time, by historian Dan Jones and artist Marina Amaral, is a collection of 200 colourised photographs taken between 1850 and 1960. With accompanying … Continue reading Book review — The Colour of Time (Dan Jones & Marina Amaral)

Art in Trouble: Expressing Shankill’s story through creative participation

Art in Trouble: Expressing Shankill’s story through creative participation by Allan LEONARD 28 March 2019 Billed as part of the Imagine! Festival, the Spectrum Centre hosted a European Arts Education Platform session, “Art in Trouble”, on how the people of the Shankill neighbourhood of Belfast have told their stories more recently, through a variety of … Continue reading Art in Trouble: Expressing Shankill’s story through creative participation

Burn/t Out: Crimes against social cohesion

Burn/t Out: Crimes against social cohesion by Allan LEONARD 10 April 2019 One of the criticisms of the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is that it did not satisfactorily scope out mechanisms for dealing with the legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland; the focus was forging a consensus on exclusively non-violent means of pursuing politics. … Continue reading Burn/t Out: Crimes against social cohesion

Book review — Don’t Mention the War (Vicky Cosstick)

Book review — Don’t Mention the War (Vicky Cosstick) by Allan LEONARD 5 March 2019 Don’t Mention the War is an e-book by Vicky Cosstick, published by ChangeAware in association with Northern Slant, that aims to explore aspects of legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland in a set of five chapters covering the peace process, … Continue reading Book review — Don’t Mention the War (Vicky Cosstick)

Decisive moments at Belfast City Hospital

Decisive moments at Belfast City Hospital: A street photography exhibition by Tuck Goh by Allan LEONARD 17 January 2019 At the Tower Gallery in City Hospital, I arrived with some time to spare in advance of the official start of an exhibition of street photography by Tuck Goh. I took a seat and watched passers-by … Continue reading Decisive moments at Belfast City Hospital