Andrew Steven
Andrew Stephen
Andrew Steven (1931-2018) was from Edinburgh and born in Peterborough, England. In 1958, he was released from his Flying Officer (National Service - RAF) post to take a position as the Assistant Secretary for Queens University where he rose to the head of the personnel department (1971-73). In 1968, he joined the Queen’s Youth Club and served as its chairman from 1969-1974.
His CV states ‘this club drew its members from several inner-city areas much affected by the Troubles. Apart from one short-lived club run by the British Army, it was one of only two city youth clubs which, in the early years of the Troubles, had a substantial membership from both protestant and Catholic working-class areas. After Queen’s youth club closed, voluntary youth and community work was carried out until the late 1980s when I became heavily involved in traditional sports and games.’
Around 250 Kodachrome slides were delivered in two wooden boxes labelled ‘Troubles 1969’ and ‘Troubles 1970’. The 1969 box was in fair condition, but the 1970 box smelled damp and one of its hinges was faulty. Moisture had made its way into the box and fungus (aspergillus and penicillium) had eaten away at the celluloid film. While we were initially disappointed with the damage, we came to realise that the fungus added new dimension to the affected images. Each slide in the 1970 box was altered differently, and a fungal aesthetic resulted. The fungus re-invented the images, and we see them as a metaphor for the erosion of memory of the Troubles.
Ardoyne, Crumlin Rd
Bombay St
Divis, Lower Falls
Grafitti
Posters and signage
Unionist
Unity Flats
Various scenes
Galleries
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Social media
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Great book launch for Michael McCann at Cultúrlann! Pick up a copy of his Burnt Out: How the Troubles Began!… https://t.co/M9GHarkXCG
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RT @Inter_Arch: Nice to see more material on the Belfast Archive website. Includes Gerry Collins shots of Bombay St in August 1969… https://t.co/kgtGGySLiK