Set of photographs #24

Commentary from Participant

‘I just first want to start by saying thank you, Tess and Federica. And Sanjay as well. We get into the day-to-day things and don’t look back and how far we have come. We are in Northern Ireland for 9 years now.

We googled ‘Northern Ireland’ before we came. Everytime, what came up was The Troubles. So we were a little sceptical [wary] about coming and how the people would be. After a couple of months, we were still hesitant to go out, but slowly what we imagined about the place changed when we started to meet people. It makes me wonder if this is not the case in other countries too.

Some of the pictures were taken to remind me of home. Some are about this place.

1. It is taken close to the Post Office on High Street, Belfast. Old buildings and amazing architecture. You walk further but empty buildings are going to waste. Relates to India as a lot of places there too are not taken care of.

2. A phone booth. The box is instinctively associated with the UK.

3. This is one of the alleyways in Belfast. I took the picture because the small light reminded me of Diwali - a major festival in India. I totally miss India at that time. I miss my family. But here the Christmas lights sort of create a similar festive mood. The lights remind me of India.

4. This right outside the City Hall in Belfast. There is a line of bicycles. I was thinking that the city is growing and there is a lot of development.There are also plants – people are still taking care of nature. Indian metropolitan cities are not taken care of.

5. These plants are outside my house, because I absolutely love flowers. One of the reasons was when I moved to Northern Ireland and it was winter and when spring came, the tulips came in and all the flowers came in. So I would come across a lot of flowers here. I am from Northern India and we have extreme temperatures.

6. Next picture, when there is rain, look for the rainbow. When we were moving to, why everyone is talking about the weather. And why they are so much about the weather. But I get it now as it rains all the time here.

7. This picture is taken from the motorway, the M2. There is a wee train station, and this train was passing. When it rains, we look for rainbows. When we moved and were talking to colleagues, everyone was talking about the weather. Now I know why. I seek a positive message out of it.

It was raining when I took the picture. The moment I turned as the train was passing, I looked back and there was an actual rainbow. Whenever I am not in a good mood, I will look for a rainbow. In India is a single rainbow, but here, it is a double rainbow it made me very, very happy. The timing was very interesting. And it was for me, the timing. It worked so perfectly. The good part about the weather is that we do not have hurricanes or tornados here.

8. The picture was taken outside the City Hall. There are always flowers. The majority of the cities in the UK have a city hall. it is a landmark, and it represents the whole feel of the city. If someone comes to Belfast, I would recommend visiting the city hall. I love the flower decorations.They would do decorations for each season. Each represents the soul of the city.

9. This is the Spires Shopping Mall. This relates to the first picture – in contrast; here an old building is being preserved and used for a different purpose. It is a blend of modern and old. This is a building in the city’s heart, and it has been preserved. It can be modern and still can have an identity and be used.

10. This a mural on one of the buildings not utilised to its fullest potential. ‘TBC ‘ means ‘to be continued’. It is a shame that people are keeping these buildings in such a state. I was trying to capture the season here in this picture – it was November. A few metres away it was dark and cold and on the other side, sunny. These pictures look so retro. No one would believe they are taken nowadays.

11. 12. This is a wind turbine and the picture next to it is Divis Mountain [which rises above Belfast]. We complain about the weather, but, as you can see from the wind turbines, it is so windy, so we are making good use of it.

I would go to Divis Mountain for long walks. The beauty of Northern Ireland is you don’t have to go miles and miles away to be in nature. It is hardly 15 minutes drive from the city to the mountains. That is quite in contrast to India. The landscape changes so often here. It would take some time in India to see a change in the landscape while travelling but here it is different.

13. This is supposed to be the Rise sculpture on the Falls Road in Belfast. It did not come out well in the picture. You can’t see and I intended to capture. There were so many interpretations. There are a lot of different names [like The Balls in the Falls] but the official name is the Rise sculpture. Different parts connect and maybe it is a big world and they are connected in some way.

14. Next is a canopy of trees, close to the place I used to live near the city centre. Indian people are crazy about Bollywood movies - Romantic movies with trees and dried leaves. The funny part is that many people are doing TikTok, here, acting out a Bollywood movie song. The landscape changes over the months and I love nature so much and it tells me how nature changes. It also tells me that the bad times are not going to stay and they will change. I took a picture every month, it is a great way of seeing the changes in the seasons. I love nature so much; the cycle of nature. It sends a message, after a bad time, will come a good time.

15. This is the River Lagan [the main river which flows through Belfast]. The reason I took the picture is that rivers in India have a lot of significance. They have a lot of spiritual significance. The Ganges was a big thing for me as a child. Away from family, you miss your family. For me, this pathway was quite helpful, whenever I was missing home, I would go for a walk. These water bodies are sustaining and nurturing for people. And calming for people. Any major cities would be around rivers or bodies of water. They have a big role to play in our lives.

16. This shows the rescue services. When I lived near the river, and had a view of it, I don’t recall a single weekend when rescue were not working. Most of these guys do it voluntarily. And you see a lot of reinforcements around the rivers. The reason I took it, is lived there for 5,6 yrs. I wanted to emphasise how important these people are for the community? We may come across them and may need them. They are the unsung heroes.

17., 18, 19. The last picture is next to the Titanic, Quarter. The reason I took it, was that some years ago there was no building here. But in Belfast as a city, change is happening, and new things are coming. Progressing might not be the right word, but there is a lot of change.

Summary

What I really wanted to point out was the things I missed but the main thing is that you should not believe everything you read about another country.

When you come from outside, people are very welcoming. You ask for an address and people are very lovely, and they will sometimes walk you to the address. And the people who come to Northern Ireland should do their best to keep an open mind and to integrate.

You are there in a new ecosystem, you are in a new country and have an open mind. I have had instances where things were said that were not pleasant. And I have seen in my circle of friends that people are not always open to the festivals and why those things are happening. But, mostly it is far more positive experiences.

Participant #12, ‘ Your photos and [Participant #14]’s are fabulous, like a love letter to Belfast. The places you took us. I enjoyed your photos very much.’