Place Review, Belfast Telegraph

12/04/09

Although PLACE at 40 Fountain Street is actually all about architecture I can’t believe that, although it has been open for quite some time, I have never mentioned it in this column. Described as the Architecture and Built Environment centre for Northern Ireland it is the public interface of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects and considers itself, ‘ a model o f excellence ; both in the design and built environment field. ‘ Funded by the Belfast City Council and the Arts Council, its purpose is to ‘ raise public awareness and promote higher standards,’ and with this in mind ‘ encourage greater public involvement in and understanding of, the built environment and public spaces.’
Situated in a prime city centre location it provides ‘ a flexible space for exhibitions and events on all aspects of the built environment.’ Just how broad this remit is, is well illustrated by the current photographic exhibition ‘Home Front’, which deals with, through individual portraits, different concepts of ‘home’, considering it as,
‘ keeper of physical and emotional elements of self.’
The photographer is Joan Alexander and the idea sprang from the experiences of her personal friend, Edna, who went from home to hospital to residential care without ever being able to collect her possessions or say goodbye to her house. These circumstances were imposed upon her and that concept triggered this exhibition. There is no photograph of Edna but all the sitters were at a stage of life,
’ where significant changes occur.’ Each portrait is accompanied by photographs of certain elements of their home as well as extracts from conversations about what it meant to them.
Some are sad, some wistful, some poignant, some resigned but they all provide serious food for thought. There is Miriam who has ‘ no happy memories’ or Tony who is resigned to blindness in a strange place, or Evelyn who dwells upon the death of her partner – all sad little snippets from life, all disturbingly real.
Space tries to have an exhibition every month and the next show, planned for early May, will feature Charles Renee Mackintosh. There are other ideas in the pipeline – the one I like best involves creating a summer garden in Fountain Street, which sounds like fun.