Anacostia Exposed
September 11, 2007
As part of Belfast Exposed’s involvement in the Rediscover Northern Ireland programme, community photographer Mervyn Smyth recently travelled to Anacostia, Washington DC to take part in a visual arts and creative writing residency, The residency involved a partnership between Belfast Exposed Photography and the ARCH Development Corporation and Training Centre, a community development organization located in the historic Anacostia neighbourhood in south east Washington DC.
Mervyn collaborated with local poets lead by Fred Joiner assisted by Jon West- Bey from The American Poetry Museum and Kirsten Kearney from Culture NI to create an exhibition of photography and poetry informed by the experience of meeting and working with members of the Anacostia community. The exhibition ran through July at the Honfleur Gallery, DC and will be coming to Belfast in early spring next year.
In the meantime, Mervyn’s personal visual record of his time in Anacostia can be seen at the new Groundwork NI Regeneration Resource Centre on Duncairn gardens from Wednesday 12 September 2007. The series consists of B&W portraits of people and places, made through collaboration between Mervyn Smyth and participating communities and individuals in Anacostia.
Mervyn recalls: “The Anacostia River creates a kind of ‘natural’ barrier separating Anacostia from the main capital, in the same way that neighbourhoods in Belfast are cut off from the city centre by roads like the Westlink or separated from each other by ‘peacelines’. On the one hand differences are exaggerated and people are being kept apart, alienated and segregated, yet on the other hand, communities like Anacostia and Shankill, Falls, Tigers Bay and New Lodge share a great warmth- almost a sense of family- where the people are generous, kind and friendly and family, church and togetherness create a unique bond.
‘In Anacostia, even as an ‘outsider’, the warm friendly hug you get from Mama Cole, who owns the local café makes you feel that you are a part of the community. Yes there are problems and through my images I have highlighted some, and yes, many of these problems are connected to the physical fact of separation, but there is also much that is positive and I hope my photographs capture this. Maybe that’s something people in Belfast will recognise and appreciate.’
Anacostia is similar to many neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland as it is also an area in transition. It is taking part in the reSTORE DC programme, a successful regeneration initiative that is set to provide the framework for a similar programme in Northern Ireland.
Mervyn enjoyed a very positive experience very much hopes to continue the collaboration into the future. His residency was supported by the Arts Council of NI, and Mervyn and Belfast Exposed also wish to extend a thank you to Philip Hammond, Creative Director of Rediscover Northern Ireland, for supporting the development of this project.
Anacostia Exposed, a visual record can be seen at Groundwork NI, Regeneration Resource Centre from Wednesday 12 September 2007.
Participating Groups in the Exhibition
Arts For All
New Lodge Youth Club
Greater Shankill Alternatives
Forthspring Inter Community Group
Parkside Community House
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