WEE MUCKERS YOUTH OF BELFAST AND MUCH MORE Toby Binder, by Armando Jongejan FRPS

The RPS Benelux Chapter INTERVIEW

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’”. Paul McVeigh

At the start of this year I was attracted by

the impressive series and photobook Wee Muckers - Youth of Belfast made by photographer Toby Binder from Germany. This was not just like any reportage, but a longrunning series about a vulnerable environment. What is striking about Toby's photo work is that he has an eye on social and political topics in post-war and crisis situations as well as in the daily life of the people which prompted me question him about his motives.

Your series about wounded children from Afghanistan comes in hard. It recounts the pain of a war. Why did you choose this topic?

This work, which has also become a long-term project, originally began 8 years ago as an assignment for a magazine. I think it is important to keep drawing attention to the fact that most victims of war remain invisible to us in our safe bubble, especially in times when Europe is once again sealing itself off from refugees in an absolutely inhumane way. These “invisible“ never make it out of their country and the conflict zones because they are too sick, too weak, too old or too young. Also according to UNICEF, 400 million children are affected by wars worldwide. In war zones medical care often collapses completely and for a large part of the population necessary treatment is no longer possible. Complicated operations cannot be carried out even years after a conflict because qualified staff and infrastructure are missing. For patients this simply means death. In Europe, on the other hand, they can often be helped with standard operations. The non-governmental organization (NGO) Friedensdorf International enables about 300 children to receive such life-saving medical treatment every year. Currently, most of them come from Angola and Afghanistan, countries in which wars have been raging for decades. What impresses me most about this work is how the children accept their fate without complaint and how grateful they are for the help and in what great solidarity children of different nations, religions, skin colours and cultures live together in the children's home of the NGO – united in the hope of a healthy life and a better future.

© Toby Binder - Afghanistan

© Toby Binder - Afghanistan

A different series is about the oil production in Baku – Azerbaijan. Is this about people or

environmental pollution? Or both? It is indeed a story about people AND pollution, because these are actually inseparable from each other! I was originally in Azerbaijan to work on a series about the most polluted places in the world. The former Soviet chemical metropolis of Sumgait in Azerbaijan was one of them at the time. While waiting for permits etc. in Baku, I also came across the oil fields there, which have been shown so many times before. They are the oldest oil fields still in production worldwide. Ancient production technology, leaking pipes, oil lakes. But since for me it is always the people who make a place interesting, I got into conversation with a couple of ladies who were working on a particular section of an oil field. I knew some Scottish oil workers who toil on the platforms in the North Sea with their broad bull necks and so was very surprised to find four ladies in their 50s here! They explained to me that in the Soviet Union even physical work was often done by women. And that they were still there - just like all the old pumps and tanks. The interplay of absolute devastation with these admirable women who have been putting their health at risk for decades for a pittance was fascinating and gruelling at the same time. Later, I reported on silver mining in Bolivia and ore mines in the Congo, where I also felt that the exploitation of people and nature very often goes hand in hand. Those who make the profit are usually not interested in protecting people or the environment.

This series is produced in colour, most of your work is in black & white. For what

reason did you choose for colour? To be honest the issue of black & white or colour is not such a big topic for me. Most of the time I think in complete series and when I have decided to photograph either this way or that, I stick to it. My work on teenagers from the UK is shot entirely in analogue on black and white medium format film. The series I mentioned about the most polluted places is digital and in colour. In this case it was also for practical reasons as it was difficult to take photos at these locations. While I received great support from the local people, I was of course not welcome by the authorities and the polluting companies! In Azerbaijan, for example, I was arrested later on and was glad to be able to hide the small chip cards and save them that way. This probably wouldn't have worked with some rolls of film!

© Toby Binder - Baku - Azerbaijan

© Toby Binder - Baku - Azerbaijan

It took a decade to capture your series of Belfast in Northern Ireland. What was the

trigger to visit Belfast? I first went to Belfast in 2006, having already worked on a project about the everyday lives of teenagers in different working-class neighbourhoods in Scotland. Belfast, with the decline of the shipyard industry seemed to me like a mirror image of Glasgow. Additionally, it was tense due to the historical conflict on the island of Ireland. So I knew the city already when I was thinking about Brexit-related stories. After the referendum in 2016, a lot of coverage has focused on places that either voted overwhelmingly for or predominantly against Brexit. As both can be found door to door in Belfast, I decided to return there and focus on these areas. These were also the neighbourhoods that were inhabited by either a large majority of Catholic Nationalists or Protestant Unionists. Regardless of that it was the socially and economically disadvantaged parts of Belfast.

Most of the photographs are of teenagers,

why? On the one hand, I love working with young people, they are usually more open, less biased and more curious than adults. On the other hand, they are the future of any society and I therefore think it is important to look at their living conditions above all and to draw attention to them. For example, the young people I portrayed were not allowed to vote in the Brexit referendum because most of them were under 18 but this decision was clearly about their future. This was the reason why my book "Wee Muckers" focuses entirely on teenagers. The debate in the neighbourhoods I worked in was shaped by the generation that is still embittered by decades of conflict but the consequences will be felt above all by the young. These young people, on both sides of the peace wall, have much more in common than the old generation wants them to believe. The Troubles have been over for more than twenty years and although there are no more open conflicts, the two communities still do not live with each other, but mostly side by side. If anyone can change this, it is the youth! Therefore, they have to realise that they are in this all together. I often showed them prints from the photos I made of them, but they were usually more interested in the pictures from the "other side" because they had never been there before, even though it is only a five-minute walk, it is on the other side of the fence! Many still think it is too dangerous to go to there. At least once I met a denominational mixed teenage couple going through one of the gates in the wall. A very practical reason was also that it was much easier to come into contact with young people, as they spend most of their time outside and thus clearly dominate the street scene. A small group of bored friends hangs out at every small corner shop at any time of day.

It is about unemployment, drug crime, and violence. It feels uncomfortable. There must be sunshine in this part of the world too. Did

you capture that part too? The young people's everyday life is indeed rough and characterised by unemployment, boredom, drugs and violence. This may be another reason why Northern Ireland has a suicide rate among young people that is many times higher than in the rest of the UK or Europe. Three young people I met in connection with working on the book are no longer with us. This is devastating and I also wanted to consciously draw attention to that. These kids need a fair chance in society! Maybe sometimes it needs to feel uncomfortable to start to change things. Of course there are more affluent, denominationally and culturally mixed neighbourhoods in Belfast, too, where these issues play a less important role. There are joyful moments in the lives of those I portray,

which I also show, but which may come across a little more subliminally. I often work with young people, but I have rarely experienced such great cohesion and solidarity within a group. The fact that some friends partly replace broken families is reflected in great intimacy.

Your work about Belfast changed after the Brexit, can you explain what it meant for you as a photographer and also in the

streets of Belfast? When I was there eight months after the referendum, of course there was no direct economic impact or anything like that. It was rather the case that this referendum - especially for Northern Ireland - once again had huge potential for division. Often people voted completely independently of possible consequences for their own lives. The Catholic Natioanlists voted against Brexit with a large majority because they see themselves as Irish and European. The Protestant Unionists see their link to the Kingdom historically and as life insurance and were therefore mostly in favour of the Brexit. The fact that in everyday life socially disadvantaged families in particular face the same dangers on both sides was hardly noticed. More than once I heard the answer "I voted that way because my family told me so.“ The under-18s were not allowed to vote anyway making them feel ignored and always forgotten even before. "What's going to get worse with Brexit?" they asked. It was not foreseeable at the beginning that the actual implementation of Brexit would drag on like this. That's why it will be interesting for me to see what will actually change for the people in 2021 after the final implementation. Therefore, I will travel to Belfast again as soon as possible. Then it will unfortunately be with passport and annoying border controls…

Pages 4, 10-11 © Toby Binder - Belfast - Northern Ireland, UK

The pandemic of COVID-19 makes travel difficult. What kind of series are you now

working on? In fact, Covid-19 has thwarted many of my plans. Even working on location is not easy due to the many restrictions and the current lockdown. I have started working on a series about teenagers in disadvantaged areas of big German cities. Unfortunately, many youth clubs and similar facilities are closed at the moment. What is only annoying for myself is a real exceptional situation for those affected directly, the kids who need support by anybody apart from the family. In addition, of course, I have also dealt with the effects of the pandemic: burials without relatives, empty city centres, isolated hospitals and old people's homes, etc. But all in all, I'm looking forward to when you can finally travel reasonably unproblematically again…?

Based in Argentina and Germany Toby works on assignments and personal projects. His work has been awarded internationally. If you want to buy his book Wee Muckers - Youth of Belfast, contact Toby at his website. A teaser is also available.

“Wee Muckers – Youth of Belfast” Photography Toby Binder Text by Paul McVeigh Price € 35 Hardcover, 24 x 17,5 cm, 120 pages, 87 duotone ISBN 978-3-86828 Signed and numbered (500)

© Toby Binder - Belfast - Northern Ireland, UK

© Toby Binder - Belfast - Northern Ireland, UK

© Toby Binder - Belfast - Northern Ireland, UK

© Toby Binder - Belfast - Northern Ireland, UK