Belfast’s sectarian murals up close and less personal – in pictures
Before, during and after the 1998 Good Friday agreement, Gareth McConnell went around Belfast photographing the sectarian murals that characterise the city’s streetscapes. “The murals are everywhere, and they’re huge,” says the Northern Irish photographer and publisher. “For years now, taxi drivers have been taking people on tours of them.” McConnell photographed murals from both sides of the conflict, but focused on such small details that they are not identifiable. “I wanted to explore the language of form and colour,” he says. “Abstraction as a means of accessing a different kind of spiritual realm, trying to tap into a deeper, more universal understanding.”
Details of Sectarian Murals, 1997-99 is published by Sorika ( £ 35 ) Continue reading…