Place and Identity - The works of Willie Doherty

 Willie Doherty was born in Derry In 1959.  Willie Doherty is famous for his work in photography and film. He started exhibiting in the early 1980’s.  Doherty has had exhibitions at venues in many different countries. He studied sculpture at Ulster Polytechnic in Belfast. Doherty was short listed for the prestigious turner prize twice in 1994 and 2003. His work incorporates text, film and video installation. Doherty’s work has been greatly influence by the troubles in Northern Ireland he grew up during the troubles it being a significant part of Derry’s past and contributes to the ascetic art in the present. Derry is one of the most photographed places, Doherty has contributed to this from an artist point of view rather than journalist. He has created many pieces that involve the audience giving them a glimpse into what Derry was like. The piece entitled “The only Good one is the dead one” is a double screen video projection installation. One screen you see a car journey ant night time on the other you see the view from inside the car the soundtrack is constructed from the interior monologue of a man who is of two minds between the fear of being the victim and the fantasy of being an assassin. The piece is supposed to involve the viewer in choosing between the innocent the catholic and the protestant. Doherty’s piece entitled re-runs which is a large-scale two-screen video installation. The piece consists of two of two silent DVDs projected simultaneously onto two freestanding three by four-metre screens positioned to face each other at opposite ends of a self-contained space. The screens show a man in a grey suit running along the bottom of Craigavon Bridge. Sweating filled with fear as if there is a pursuer. The images create an unsettling affect, which mimics the character in the video.  The Craigavon Bridge where the video was filmed crosses the River Foyle, marking a point of connection between the Protestant and Catholic communities in the city. According to the website www.tate.org.uk

 “The running man can be seen as a metaphor for a stagnated culture where people living in fear of random violence and terrorism are stuck between opposing and apparently irreconcilable ideological positions. The work’s title alludes to a pattern of political repetition while also describing the literal mechanism of the filmic loops employed in the installation.” Ghost Stories another of Doherty’s works where his inspiration was the troubles in Derry. It was first shown in 2007 at the Venice Biennale. The piece is very intense and spooky showing a dark quiet country road and a voice speaking. Doherty’s inspiration for the video was his personal experience of bloody Sunday. Doherty was 12 and witnessed the terrible events of bloody Sunday through the window of his family home; the piece is the retelling and remembering of these events. Doherty’s work is a revelation he portraits fear, anguish and paranoia are unexpectedly appealing to the audience. He always has the audience involved making them feel and react to his work he incorporates imagery that makes us relate to the content. By leaving the story confusing, the viewer is forced to speculate on the possible horrors that might occur in his work. 

Work entitled "The Only Good One Is The Dead One"

Work entitled "Re-Runs"