Darkness, territory and the city - talk and exhibition of selected photographs by Fergus Jordan

The exhibition will present photographs taken in Belfast, responding to the specific social and cultural terrain of post conflict society in Northern Ireland. Using the camera, Fergus examines the processes that are set in motion by the introduction of artificial light in a contested landscape. Specifically, he examines themes of surveillance, territory and identity. Through the photographs, he considers how place and situation can alter cultural assumptions and social norms of darkness and artificial light.

The resulting work interrogates some of the widely held assumptions of street lighting as a sanctuary from the unknown. Contrastingly the photographs attempt to stage the difficulties of being dislocated by the darkness in a society that has become dependent on vision to read the iconology of the surrounding territories. What merges is a dualistic portrait of nighttime in Northern Ireland, calling for a revaluation of the general assumptions of night, darkness and artificial light.

Fergus’ research on Darkness, territory and the city as part of his PhDin photographyconsiders how photographs have played a crucial role in developing a knowing of nighttime, acting as an explorative tool whilst additionally contributing to the grammar of night in the city.

“My interest is to advance towards a regional consideration of the subject. The study proposes that locality is a missing link in both the implementation of electric light and the photographic consideration of night.

Thursday 24th February
Opening talk by Fergus Jordan – 7pm
Exhibition opening – 8pm
Exhibition on till the 6th March