'ADAPT' Zine

  • Katherine Faffy McNeill
I created ‘ADAPT’ zine with the aim to follow the creative paths of young people who have chosen to uproot from their home in Northern Ireland. Through conducting a series of interviews and photoshoots this zine aimed to capture their identity. Providing an insight into how they are influenced by our culture, heritage and what their identity means to them.
As a part of the first generation to grow up in Northern Ireland after the troubles, my friends and I spent our teenage years involved with the growing art, music and fashion scene in Northern Ireland. We developed as artists, influenced by our culture in Belfast and are now apart of a group of young creatives that moved over to England to pursue our studies and careers within the art and fashion industry. Through ADAPT I aimed to shine a light on this new generation of Northern Irish who grew up in a post conflict environment.
‘Plants from Pallets’ is an editorial shoot I did for my zine ‘ADAPT’. Wooden pallets are used annually in Northern Ireland as part of a protestant celebration. Stacked to create 40ft bonfires, these pallets are often adorned with Irish Flags and sectarian slurs and burned in celebration. To many Northern Irish, the bonfires on the 11th of July represent a darker time in Northern Irish history.
Considering that the subjects I was photographing were all young, LGBT creatives from Belfast, I decided to build my set from wooden pallets to make a statement. I filled the pallets with plants, flowers and whatever matter I could find in my garden to represent a growth away from these sectarian practises in Northern Ireland. The growth of the new generation.
Alongside my photoshoot ‘Plants and Pallets’, I conducted an interview with the three Northern Irish subjects in order to discuss the modern Northern Irish identity.
The second half of my zine was dedicated to looking at young talent emerging from Northern Ireland, and giving these young people a platform to show their work and promote their events.
Co founded Rupert Earl and Northern Irish Joseph Sansom, Edited Arts is an events collective based in London that is challenging the commercialisation of art and music by providing a platform for young and emerging artists in london to showcase their work. Unusual venues, experimental music this collective is re-imagining the way we experience a night out. I conducted an interview with art community ‘Edited’ for my zine ‘ADAPT.
I showcased work by Colombian artist and photographer Rodrigo Vargas, the resident photographer for Edited Arts.