The Other View

Impacting Images
Belfast Exposed

By Laura Duffy

With over half a million images to its credit, a group is surely entitled to call itself 'Belfast Exposed'. Until I recently visited their gallery I was unaware just how many memorable and well known photographs have come from this group, who have virtually provided a visual history of a city in conflict and now adjusting to peace time conditions. When I arrived at their current address in King Street I met Pauline Hadaway who explained to me the mammoth task they are currently undertaking. Until this point, all images were stored on slide or negative film within folders stored in chronological order.

Now, in order to make their vast collection easily accessible via Internet, around 5,000 images have been cleaned, catagorised, scanned and researched for on-line use, to enable people to browse this vast array of diverse visual information. Because this is a non-profit making organisation, low resolution pictures can be downloaded free of charge and prints or high resolution scans are available to community and voluntary sector organisations at only production costs. Sometime in the future Belfast Exposed will be talking to individual photographers about developing a sales policy for artwork.

In the meantime the online archive, which has been supported by the New Opportunities Fund, Community Relations Council and Lloyds TSB Foundation will be a valuable marketing tool for local photographers seeking a world wide audience. Even as they pursue this giant task, their normal day to day work continues. I learned from Pauline Hadaway how the group not only provides photographic record of a community, but also have as their priority the inclusion of every possible community member. To achieve this result, they provide photographic training for people from all backgrounds, ages and beliefs. While the images can often be disturbing, this downside appears to be compensated for by being at the centre of highly creative and evolving project.

Photographer Mervyn Smith told me how he revels in the variation in his work which ranges from the pre-planned to spur of the moment discoveries. His excellent advice to aspiring photographers could be applied to almost any other undertaking- persistence, practice and patience is his recipe for success. Given the prolonged and bitter nature of the conflict here it is difficult for anybody to claim a completely unbiased position. When I asked Mervyn about this difficulty he referred me to a poster which read 'leave your politics and religion outside the door'. He is clearly happy that this policy is being carried out, since in his own words, he will "go anywhere, work with anyone, at any time". Since the company began in 1983 their base has been in King Street, but they will shortly be moving to a new and fully refurbished gallery and workshop space at the Exchange Place, in Donegal Street, appropriately still in the heart of the city.

When I asked him about aspirations for the future, his answer was that he hopes to build theirs into a bigger organisation, possibly countrywide leaders at what they do. They are about getting people and communities informed and involved. For this reason they will welcome feedback from users of their website who may have insights into a particular image. I left with an impression of an unusually dynamic operation which has the humility to fade into the background and allow the community and images to tell their story.

For news and information on exhibitions, bursaries, community and training projects visit www.belfastexposed.com
The on line archive is available on www.belfastexposed.com/archiveand www.archivelive.com

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