THE Belfast Archive Project, with Frankie Quinn as its Director, is known for its eclectic gems of our photographic history.
Bill Kirk's amazing life's work is represented by 100 photographs currently on show at the Ulster Museum. It's the first of three exhibitions from the archive which will be shown over the next few months.
Bill used to work for the NI Tourist Board and he's on record as remarking on what a tough job it was finding photos that would entice people to holiday here when they wanted blue skies.
The images on show cover a Belfast and aspects of its life that are familiar to those of my era: Security checks in Castle Place; the Ulster Workers' Council strike; May Day marches; sweet shops; Skinheads in Chapel Lane; Mods in Wellington Place; kitchens with ancient stoves; tin baths; Miss Sandy Row; punks.
The documentary-style black and white images stand as a testament to Bill's talent, and while snogging at bonfires still happens, much of the way of life portrayed here has passed. Thankfully.
At the opening night, Bill was reminiscing about his early life and his awe at some of the photographers present to pay tribute to him.
As I read Frankie Quinn's words on the information boards, my memory went back to when he was doing his MA at the Belfast School of Art and the contrast of the skilled ease of him taking photographs and the huge effort it took to bring them on to the page.
The exhibition is a testament to the archive's importance in recording our past and the enduring quality and popularity of black and white images. We look forward to the next two instalments.
While at the Ulster Museum, it's worth visiting the 'Wild Ireland Past, Present, Future' exhibition by renowned wildlife painter Julian Friers, who has collaborated with the museum's Natural Sciences curator, Dr Mike Simms, to create over 50 remarkable paintings of our flora and fauna.
"Most of the animals you will see in the exhibition have vanished," we're told, "victims of natural catastrophes, environmental or evolutionary change. Others have departed our shores, but live on elsewhere on the planet."
Julian Friers is renowned for his skilled, detailed, realistic soft painting style and as AI images creep into our daily lives we wonder if we are experiencing the last generation in the West of such painterly skill.
In this time of climate emergency, it's interesting to consider taxidermy, which is scattered around the exhibition, along with feathers plucked from birds and made into fashion items without a thought to the birds. And as we look at the image of the island of Ireland where the animals roamed without a border, we can contemplate the effect of humans on this wee island we all call home.
Wild Ireland runs until August 31.
Sky Arts has opened applications for Landscape Artist of the Year. So if you fancy yourself as being in with a chance, the deadline for entries is May 2. They are looking for landscapes painted over the past five years. Three judges will also select who will participate in a TV series to be filmed later in the year. Oh, and there's a £10,000 prize for the winner. If you're not in, you can't win. Details online at skyartsartistoftheyear.tv
