Neighbourhoods in Picture
As part of the research project, residents were asked to undertake a photo novella exercise and keep a diary for one week. Photo novella involved residents using disposable cameras supplied by the study team, taking photos of people and places of interest to them and explaining the significance of photographs while annotating the back of the photograph. Photo novella was undertaken in all the case studies: Inner East Belfast (Lower Castlereagh and Short Strand); Waterside in Derry - Londonderry (Irish Street and Top of the Hill); Sion Mills, and Erinvale.
Some residents also kept a diary for a week. Diary keeping is an effective way of gathering new, more in depth, and ‘bottom-up’ insights into the ‘lived’ experiences of residents as they happen rather than retrospectively. Although the diaries were designed to be as spontaneous as possible, diarists were given some guidance about how diaries should be completed.
These interactive activities were designed to capture the reality of life, a sense of place and underlying social issues for each neighbourhood in the residents’ own words and images. They engaged participants from across the communities concerned and attempted to involve population groups whose voices are traditionally under-represented in research interviews and thereby extend the reach of the study.
The photo novella research was intended to be a point of triangulation for the research team to compare and contrast emerging understandings from the formal research, with the residents' own narratives as represented in their photographs and diaries. The inclusion of visual material and participants’ commentary was also intended to enliven the research, and make it more accessible, especially to local audiences.
Available to view on this web site are a selection of captioned residents' photographs produced as part of the photo novella exercise.
Resident’s images can be accessed using the menu on the left.
