That Certain Kind of Peace

Belfast, 2018 – on-going

Society in the North of Ireland seems to be well-rehearsed within a system of division but visual signs of demarcation, affiliation and control are still striking to the eye of the outsider. While sensitive subjects such as drug dealing, capitalism and austerity, privatisation of the civil service, redevelopment and speculation, just to name a few, are contested in a lot of cities throughout Europe, it seems that in Belfast these subjects are dealt with in a more complex way, the issue of identity and belonging ever so present. Feeling that events of the past determine the present to an exceptional degree, the artist, besides recording the cityscape with its signs of a divided society, is looking at situations where the legacy of an unresolved past and issues of current affairs are intertwined.

Since 2017, Sabine visits Belfast regularly. THAT CERTAIN KIND OF PEACE is a first draw in an on-going research on the subject of division in Belfast and the North of Ireland. It consists of 7 inkjet posters 33 x 47 in, 28 inkjet landscapes 18 x 12 and 11 inkjet portraits 12 x 16 in. The work has been shown in different venues in Belfast. It also contains text and found footage, which is not yet shown here.

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SABINE TROENDLE

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Smash Maghaberry

Maghaberry prison continues to be in the focus of human rights organisations from various countries and especially the Republic of Ireland because of its cruel and degrading treatment of political prisoners. It is feared that Britain will not adhere to the European Convention of Human Rights following Brexit. The Craigavon Two, a currently disputed case of miscarriage of justice, are held in Maghaberry prison.

Enniskillen

Ian, a former UDR soldier, now with the Royal Irish Regiment and Ben, a former soldier with the Scottish Regiment and now working for the Ely Centre, are posing beside the Enniskillen Memorial in the storage room of the former UDR, now RIR recruiting base in Enniskillen, where the memorial for the Enniskillen bombing victims of 1987 is stored. The memorial was supposed to be placed at the site where the bomb went off but the Catholic Church, the owner of the land, haven’t given permission. The dispute, where the, and what kind of memorial will be put up is on-going.

Kneecapped

Cisco asked to be photographed but was held back by senior community members from giving any contacts to where I could send the pictures to. A lot of republican and loyalist communities in Belfast are controlled by respective paramilitary organisations who are keen on keeping a low profile and go about their businesses undisturbed. Recently, the PSNI got special funding to tackle the issue.

Hillview

An empty lot on the Crumlin Road, sold to a privat investor who plans to build retail stores on it, whilst there are thousands of people waiting for social housing, especially in this area of Belfast. Building homes for these families would jeopardise the Unionist’s majority in this constituency, as most of the families in need of social housing in north Belfast are from the Catholic community. The implementation of the construction plans is heavily contested by PPR (Participation and Practice of Rights), an organisation in persue of supporting marginalised people to assert their rights. The owner of the Hillview site, Frank Boyd, sued PPR for defamation. The case is underway.

Red White and Blue

Residue from the latest paint–refreshment of the kerbstones leading into loyalist Cluan Place. Painting kerbstones in red white and blue or green white and orange respectively, serves to mark an area out as unionist or nationalist. Whilst today nationalist neighbourhoods spot less painted kerbstones, the marking is still a very alive activity within the unionist community, especially when it comes up to the twelfth of July. The unionist community feels under siege – more so as the demographics of the north are changing.

Care and Control

A culture of conflict also produces a culture of surveillance. Public CCTV in Belfast is mainly run by the police to monitor interfaces between Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods, trying to control riots and to prevent crime and antisocial behaviour. As in any parts of the world, being monitored by the state is highly ambivalent, suggesting safety and care for the people while empowering a government to have control over them. ‘Community Safety’ is part of the Criminal Justice proposals, which is a department connected to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and thus a government initiative.

Truth and Reconciliation

Solicitor and lawyer offices are a familiar sight on Belfast’s streets. One of the most disputed subjects in politics in the north is how to handle the legacy issues of the conflict: who’s to be investigated, who’s a victim, who’s a terrorist and who’s got what rights? Should a statute of limitation to prevent any further investigations into the actions of British soldiers while serving in Northern Ireland during the Troubles be implemented? Do supergrass trials bring any closure for victim’s families? What about the delays in pending cases? Victims and survivors have been seeking access to truth and justice for over forty years and the legacy mechanisms agreed in the Stormont House Agreement more than three years ago, are parked in limbo-land. Recently, a group of fifty lawyers have signed a letter expressing concerns at the vacuum confronting the issues.