THE BELFAST Photo Festival is back on June 6 for its 10th year. It has a couple of particularly interesting installation experiences: 'Broken Spectre' about climate change at the deconsecrated Carlisle Memorial church in Carlisle Circus, and 'Smile AI.' at Riddel Warehouse, a tech-art show that immerses the audience in a dystopian future.
Carlisle Memorial, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Belfast Buildings Trust, will host the debut of Broken Spectre by Irish artist Richard Mosse. The immersive 74-minute audiovisual experience takes the audience deep into the Brazilian Amazon. Who imagined that would ever be available in North Belfast? The show was three years in the making and is definitely one for the diary.
Admission is free and it's open from 11am to 7pm Tuesday to Sunday, June 6 to 30.
Smile AI. by Dutch artist Matthias Oostrik in Riddel Warehouse takes us to a future where "reality is refracted through the lens of artificial intelligence's statistical interpretations."
Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Ryan Murphy, says: “I’m so impressed by both the quality of this year’s Belfast Photo Festival programme and the way in which it’s encouraging people to consider current societal concerns.
“During Belfast 2024, our biggest-ever citywide creative celebration, it’s particularly encouraging to see exhibitions hosted in places like the City Hall grounds, Carlisle Memorial and Riddel’s Warehouse. Art holds incredible power to communicate, to connect people, and to shine a light on what should be valued in our society, and I look forward to seeing people taking a little time out of their day to visit and enjoy these exhibitions."
The City Hall grounds will feature Polish artists Barbara Caillot and Aleksandra Karkowska, whose photos showcase their fascination with the legendary White Bear of Zakopane, exploring how pictures of people with white bears have become a symbol of Polish popular culture and both an antidote and provocation during uncertain times over the past 100 years.
Joanna Johnston, Visual Arts Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, says: “Congratulations to Belfast Photo Festival as they mark ten years of bringing great photography to the streets of Belfast, helping to create access to the arts and diversify audiences. This festival not only offers a vital platform in showcasing and celebrating the incredible work of our local contemporary photographers but also offers people here the opportunity to view work from acclaimed international photographers. The Arts Council is delighted to support the Belfast Photo Festival, thanks to the National Lottery players, and would encourage everyone to go along and enjoy everything this thrilling festival has to offer this June.”
The festival will also highlight over 30 partner exhibitions, talks, workshops and screenings of artists who are incorporating new mediums and technology into their work alongside further influences from contemporary, historical, documentary, archival, reportage and conceptual photography.
More details at www.belfastphotofestival.com
