Communicating Conflict Examining the language of photomontage and the visual expression of the Northern Ireland in the context of the ‘Troubles’ series by Sean Hillen

Dara McElligott
Trinity College Dublin
Department of History of Art and Architecture
2017
BA

Subject: Photomontage
Country: Ireland
Period: 20th Century

10,000 words

This dissertation examines the series of photomontage works entitled ‘The Troubles’ (1983-1993) by artist, Sean Hillen (born 1961, Newry, Northern Ireland), which depicts a perspective on the Northern Ireland conflict which lasted from 1968-1998. The primary aim of this dissertation is to establish if, and why, the medium of photomontage is particularly suited to the expression of political conflict. The first section of this thesis is a study of the medium of photomontage; its origins, applications and qualities. The second section is a study of how the Northern Ireland conflict was depicted visually through the use of photographs, and how these depictions are understood by the viewer. The third and final section is an examination of a selection of Hillen’s ‘Troubles’ photomontages to explore what they communicate about the Northern Ireland conflict.

Irish Georgian Society

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Communicating Conflict Examining the language of photomontage and the visual expression of the Northern Ireland in the context of the ‘Troubles’ series by Sean Hillen