Wee Muckers – Youth of Belfast | Toby Binder

»If I had been born at the top of my street, behind the corrugated-iron border, I would have been British. Incredible to think. My whole idea of myself, the attachments made to a culture, heritage, religion, nationalism and politics are all an accident of birth. I was one street away from being born my ‘enemy’« writes Paul McVeigh, Belfast born novelist and author of ‘The Good Son’.

Belfast, Carrick Hill. Rachel running past police vehicles on Stanhope Street.
Belfast, Clonard. View from Clonard monastry towards the “Peace Wall” and Shankill neighbourhood.
Belfast, Highfield. “Strength, Repsect, Loyalty”.
Belfast, Shankill. Young boy and old men at a Protestant Parade on Crumlin Road.
Belfast, Clonard. Tiernan.
Belfast, Shankill. Boy turning away from garbage set on fire at a wasteland on Caledon Street.
Belfast, Carrick Hill. Brendan behind a police line at Trinity Street.
Belfast, Shankill. Carter and his friends during bonfire preparations on Conway Street.

Photographer Toby Binder has been documenting the daily life of teenagers in British working-class communities for more than a decade. After the Brexit referendum he focused his work on Belfast in Northern Ireland. There is a serious concern that Brexit will threaten the Peace Agreement of 1998 that ended the armed conflict between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Nationalists who live in homogeneous neighborhoods that are divided by walls till today. Old conflicts may recur, compromising the youth’s future prospects on both communities. Nevertheless, being underage, most teenagers were not allowed to vote in the referendum. Problems they struggle with are similar – no matter which side of the “Peace Walls” they live on. And whatever the effects of Brexit will be, it‘s very likely that they will strike especially young people from both communities.

Belfast, Clonard. Young girl at a march remembering the victims of “The Troubles”.
Belfast, Clonard. Thomas and Jordan squabbling in front of a closed shop on Springfield Road.
Belfast, Shankill. Boy playing football in front of a Union Jack painted on the wall.
Belfast, Clonard. Oisin, Jonjo, Antoin and Lee at “The Dam”, the local water reservoir on Springfield Road.
Belfast, Shankill. Emily.
Belfast, Woodvale. Group of girls at Woodvale Park.
Belfast, Shankill. Megan and Joshua.
Belfast, Shankill. Girls sitting on the sidewalf on Tennent Street.

 

BIO 

Toby was born in Esslingen in 1977 and studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart. As a socially committed documentary photographer he focuses on underprivileged and marginalised communities in long-term projects. He often takes the perspective of young people. Toby’s work has been awarded internationally, e.g. with a Gomma Grant and LensCulture Award in 2020, the Zeke- and Felix-Schoeller-Award in 2019, the Philip-Jones-Griffiths-Award in 2018, the Sony-World-Photo-Awards and the Nannen-Preis in 2017. The same year he received an Honorable Mention at the UNICEF Photo of the Year just as again in 2021. His work is published by Stern, die Zeit, the Guardian, Le Monde, the Washington Post, Greenpeace Magazin, Amnesty Journal, Neue Zürcher Zeitung and others In 2019 his first photo book “Wee Muckers” was published by Kehrer.

Website: www.toby-binder.de

Instagram: @TobyBinderPhotography

 

Photo Essay curated by Alejandra Martínez Moreno.