Originally The Divide existed as an ode to the absence of childhood memory in relation to this park however as I began to reassess my stance on how I perceived the surrounding communities use and access to the park, I began seeing clear signs of separation between them.
Some photographs contain some of the colours of either the Irish or UK flag, a nod to this sense of national identity. Chained and broken fences create this sense of violence and restriction of movement while more quiet moss covered bricks and chipped wooden boards tell the quieter story of a failing ‘us or them’ situation that had existed for many years.
The themes explored in ‘The Divide’ are represented by the repetitive existence of this constant divisional, central line that splits the photograph into two distinct ‘groups’. However, each half is visually not dissimilar to its counterpoint which relates to how truly alike Catholic and Protestant communities are, despite their religious, social and political differences.
