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The Guardian

Something fishy: the best of Belfast photo festival

Belfast photo festival, the UK and Ireland's largest annual photography festival, has transformed public spaces across the city and beyond into a living gallery with over 30 exhibitions from homegrown and international photographic talent. This year's theme is 'Biosphere'. Five major photographic commissions explore the fragility and beauty of Northern Ireland's natural heritage. Hill Pictures is an exploration of the iconic Belfast Hills, its people, and an invitation to collaborate in visualising our natural heritage. Belfast photo festival is on until 30 June Hill Pictures documents the long-term conservation of the hills Slievenacloy, Colin Glen, Divis and the Black Mountain, Ligoniel, Cave Hill and Carnmoney Hill. Photographer Polly Garnett says of her image of two young women climbing together on Cave Hill: 'This chance encounter on the hills reaffirmed the crucial role the hills play as a space for people to connect both to each other and to nature' Polly Garnett: 'Hill Pictures is in many ways a love letter to the hills, yet does not shy away from the complexities of our relationship to them. I documented both the planting of trees by conservation volunteers and the aftermath of wildfires which are a frequent occurrence on the hillsides closest to the city' Photographer Yvette Monahan: 'Otoliths, or ear stones, have revealed a fascinating world of fish senses. Otoliths can serve as biological timekeepers and storytellers – much like tree rings, holding the collective memory of the aquatic world. These remarkable otolith structures hold a biochronology– a map of life experiences embedded and made visible within their physical forms' Monahan: 'The scales and eels have illuminated the invisible mappings and magnetic fields that present fish as living archives. They have provided me with tangible subjects to photograph as I explored the intangible aspects of their lives' Monahan: 'Each layer encodes the fish's journeys, revealing the duration of their existence and the experiences that have shaped them. Their bodies carry a shared memory, telling a collective story. Fish possess an incredible ability to create and follow a map guided by instinctual knowledge, not on paper but within their very beings. They navigate the world using magnetic fields and respond to unseen frequencies, forging a connection between their biology and the forces of the planet. This living archive is not a static record; it continuously evolves' Shallow Waters aims to investigate the way myth and tradition sit alongside heavy industry and how closely connected they are, despite being at odds with each other. Through a photographic investigation of the landscape, its people and traditions, Joe Laverty charts a thread of connection between the two opposing engagements with the shallow waters of Lough Neagh, as it negotiates multiple threats and regulatory negligence Lough Neagh is the largest body of water in the UK and Ireland. It connects five counties and is often referred to as a county in itself. It is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Europe, and it is dying in plain sight Photographer Joe Laverty: 'Lough Neagh is dying right in front of us. It is fighting a perfect storm of largely man-made conditions that threaten to kill off its ecosystem entirely. This image shows a farmer's slurry pipe, half in/half out of the lough's water. It is emblematic of a wider problem with nutrient pollution of the lough's bed. Although technically legal, the pipe's incongruous presence is a foreboding reminder of Lough Neagh's fragile outlook' Bog Story traces the historical and contemporary landscape of peatlands in and around the Sperrins, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. Chad Alexander's exploration delves into the cultural and environmental significance of bogs, examining the personal, economical and mythical relationships between people and the land. Through this body of work, he highlights the destructive effects of industrial practices, such as drainage, extraction, afforestation, and unregulated burning, that can harm these fragile ecosystems Photographer Chad Alexander: 'Over 80% of Northern Ireland's peatlands are either damaged or in poor condition, transforming them from vital carbon sinks into carbon emitters. This ecological unravelling threatens not only the climate, but also the richly diverse habitats they sustain, including those of endangered species. Compounding these pressures is the encroachment of mineral extraction companies, whose pursuit of gold and other minerals produces irreversible scars on these ancient landscapes' Alexander: 'Peatlands are also natural time capsules. Their waterlogged, oxygen-starved, and highly acidic environments preserve organic material in extraordinary detail, capturing traces of human history, mythology, and cultural memory. Growing at just one millimetre per year, each metre of peat stores a millennium of the past. Among the most intriguing discoveries are bog bodies – astonishingly well-preserved human remains, many over 2,000 years old, bearing evidence of ritual sacrifice. Their presence provides a window into a distant and enigmatic past' Narrow Valley captures a protected area of temperate rainforest that endures with minimal human interference: trees are left to die, to fall and to nourish the forest floor in a continuous cycle of decay and regeneration Photographer Helio León: 'Nature is our biggest teacher, a reflection of our soul. We are also nature, it rules us and deserves the utmost respect. I used to create my work mainly in big cities, documenting subculture and my personal reflections. Lately, though, I've turned my lens towards nature. I feel the presence of time and memory there, particularly in the forest. I've always been interested in capturing something invisible. And I believe there's a spirit there in nature, an aura that I find to be present in the pictures' Using alternative photographic processes which involved washing and bleaching his exposed film in the River Glenarm, León has produced large abstract prints on fabric which will be displayed in Belfast's Tropical Ravine