Peacebuilding a shared Northern Irish society
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 →
Book review — World Press Photo 2021 by Allan LEONARD 26 June 2021 World Press Photo 2021 is a book compilation of finalists of its annual competition. Entries are submitted by professional visual journalists. There were nine juries across the photo and digital storytelling contests. For the 2021 contest, general jury chair, Nayantara Gurury Kakshapati,... Continue Reading →
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 →
Book review: Irish Summers (Harry GRUYAERT) by Allan LEONARD 21 March 2021 Harry Gruyaert’s work is recognisable by its saturated colours of thoughtfully chosen hues. The interplay with light is also crucial. There are images in Irish Summers that exemplify such decisive moments, when colour and light come together to satisfy Gruyaert’s quest for sensual... Continue Reading →
Book review — Old Ireland in Colour (John Breslin & Sarah-Anne Buckley) by Allan LEONARD 14 March 2021 Old Ireland in Colour is an ongoing project of colourising black and white images by photographers in Ireland in the late 19th to early 20th century. The catalyst was John Breslin working on colourising some photos of... Continue Reading →
Book review — New Ways of Seeing (Grant Scott) by Allan LEONARD 21 February 2021 We read books of fiction and non-fiction, and may acquire a respect for how difficult it is to create such works ourselves. We are taught how to read the written word, and by practising reading, tend to appreciate its transformative... Continue Reading →
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 — How I Make Photographs ( Joel Meyerowitz) by Allan LEONARD 18 October 2020 Joel Meyerowitz is a renowned street photographer, long before the term became a familiar recognised genre (or subgenre of documentary photography). Once working as an art director, after an encounter with photographer Robert Frank, he quit his job and... Continue Reading →
A passion for social justice: Tribute to Anne Moore by Allan LEONARD 8 August 2020 Anne Moore will be remembered for her passion for social justice. I met Anne during my employment as a policy officer for the Alliance Party as I sought out the views of a valued stakeholder, NICVA, where she served as... Continue Reading →
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 →
Muslim community and Loyalist flute band creating harmony through musicLoyalist flute bands and the Muslim community are two groups that may appear not to sit well together. There is however at least one thing that they both have in common – due to negative stereotyping they both receive a great deal of hostility.Since the beginning... Continue Reading →
Somewhere between 1969 and 1994 is where the faces of the sorrowful but powerful stories of Colin Davidson’s recent project, Silent Testimony, are set. Mr Davidson shows us the people of Northern Ireland and holds a light up to the dark time of the Troubles. Colin shared some of his views and feelings with CultureHUB.Upon... Continue Reading →