30 T he L o o p | D ecem ber 201 5 | THE ARTS
Clockwise from above: The bombed city of Hanover / Perry in Cuxhaven post war / Cuxhaven girl with a British soldier / Troops disembarking a ship / Ship arriving in Cuxhaven / Perry's photos on a German newspaper supplement marking 70 years since the end of the war. Below : Perry now
THE EAST BELFAST MAN AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY SNAPSHOT OF HISTORY When Lt. Charles S. Perry Zachary took some photographs of Cuxhaven at the end of World War II, he was simply taking snaps to show family back home in East Belfast what life was like in Germany, where he was stationed. It didn’t occur to him that he was photographing history, or that one day these photos would be a significant record of the Allied Occupation. his year on the 70th anniversary of the end of the war in Cuxhaven the local newspaper published a supplement commemorating the event with numerous pictures and details of how the ‘photo treasure’ came about thanks to Lt Zachary. A second exhibition is now being planned of his pictures taken 1946 / 1947. Letters from journalists and friends tell him his photos have added a ‘new dimension’ to the history of the port city, as his pictures are almost the only ones taken at the time, when film was hard to come by. As an Army officer, Perry, as he prefers to be known, was entitled
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to tobacco and alcohol rations, which as a non-smoking teetotaller her was able to trade for film. He had cobbled together a camera when in hospital in India, and had started his war photography then, and had since collected a Rolloflex and a Robot camera. He took pictures of the port where he worked, overseeing all arrivals and departures of ships including those bringing in British Army wives and families and those bringing home repatriated German prisoners of war. His pictures are a reflection of his life in Army quarters and at the NAAFI club, as well as everyday photos of people going about their business. “I took pictures of the
IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME CREATIVE EXCHANGE ARTISTS | creativeexchange.org.uk ecently a host of artists and international curators found their way up the Newtownards Road and descended on Creative Exchange artist studios. As part of the Belfast Open Studios event Visual Artists Ireland (VAI) approached the studio group to host a Show & Tell event at their premises in Portview Trade centre. The aim of Show and Tell is for an artist to present ten slides/images for five minutes in front of an audience. But keeping within the five minute limit can be tricky as the presenter needs to make sure they only speak for 30 seconds for each image! The artists who spoke at the Show & Tell were : Lise McGreevy whose practice is as a visual artist and photographer. Sighle Breathnach Cashell, a visual artist originally from Belfast now based in Rotterdam, who creates site and situation specific environments as settings to be inhabited and activated by an audience. Stephanie Noble, a painter, who through using different paint application and removal methods she creates beautiful vibrantly coloured landscapes often featuring dramatic mountains and valleys. Deirdre Morrissey, who is originally from Dublin where she was an independent
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children to show people back home how clean and tidy they were,” Perry said. “There were terrible shortages, soap was hard to come by, and yet the children were always clean and well turned out. I was impressed with how the Germans were ciping with the very hard times that people were suffering” The children photographed included Heiko Cramer, at the time a small boy trying to sell bits and pieces to Allied soldiers on trains for food or money. By coincidence Perry met Heiko at a flea market on a trip to Cuxhaven decades later and showed him the photos. He recognised himself and organised an exhibition of photos, which was
followed up this year with a bigger exhibition, with further exhibitions in the pipeline. “Heiko told me his mother would send the children out to ask soldiers for old socks or anything that could be unravelled and knitted into useful clothing. It was this resourcefulness that had impressed me so much and that I’d wanted to show people at home. The German people had nothing, but they coped so well with the terrible deprivation.” Perry was stationed in Cuxhaven and at just 23 was part of the team responsible for loading and unloading the ships moving troops and personal to and from the British Zone of Germany from the the key port at the mouth of the river Elbe. Having had so much responsibility, when he returned home it was hard to return to a desk job and he decided to explore his love of photography as a career. He joined Van Buren photographers in an unpaid role to learn the ropes, and before long was a partner in the company, eventually becoming sole owner. At 92 he has a lifetime
curator and director of The Market Studios. She now works for Creative Exchange as the studio administrator. Rob Hilken, is the Northern Ireland representative for the VAI. His own artwork is often participatory, he recently created a series of video works exploring the phenomenon of the Ulster Fry. David Fox originally from Co. Ofally but now based at Creative Exchange studios. His eerie paintings depict interior and exterior spaces where there is a noticeable absence of any human presence. He is currently represented by the Spanish gallery Galeria Silverstrein in Madrid. Charlotte Bosanquet, a Belfast based artist originally from Surrey in England was co-founder of Prime (an artist collective based at the Bathhouse on Templemore Avenue) She spoke about a recent project she worked on with members of the Women’s Institute. Heather Wilson is another artist based at Creative Exchange, her artwork is often sculptural, it combines craftsmanship and aesthetics and she spoke about the importance of ‘play’ in her work. Jane Butler is based at Array Studios in Belfast, she recently finished a directorship at Catalyst Arts. Jane spoke about a recent site specific project using a billboard image she was inspired by. Artists, curators, VAI director Noel Kelly and local visitors were welcomed to Creative Exchange with a ‘Feast in the East’ a handsome spread of food and wine kindly sponsored by the board of directors at Creative Exchange. The Feast gave the visitors an opportunity to meet the artists in their studios and do some all-important networking while enjoying a glass of red!
of photographs of Belfast and abroad catalogued on iPads, and is still a keen photographer, often using his iPhone to snap pictures, or one of his variety of digital cameras. He is a dab hand at photoshop and various other digital photography programmes, and has the technological prowess of a teenager. Perry maintained his connections with Cuxhaven all his life, honeymooning there in and visiting regularly with his wife Ruth over the years until her death in 2010. While his health makes it difficult to travel there now, he keeps up with the town through the port’s web cam, watching ships come and go and people promenading along the sea front. He’s pleased to still be involved with the town, even from a distance, and while he can’t make it to the exhibition himself, he can see where it is. “I never thought my photos would be in any way of historical significance, but I’m pleased with the way it has turned out, and that the people of Cuxhaven have got to see them,” Perry said.
Belfast artist Dawn Crothers, presents art donation made by herself and Whalley Fine Art to Hannah Farrell, Staff Nurse, & Ward Sister Bernie McShane, Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children & the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity for the corridors of the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children’s Cancer & Haematology Unit. At a combined value of around £10,000, the art donation includes three oil-on-canvas paintings featuring brightly coloured snails. In addition to her donated works which will remain on display at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, Dawn will also feature one of her newest painting images, “Partridge in a Pear Tree,” on the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity’s first Christmas cards www.childrenscancerunit.com or www.facebook.com/ ChildrensCancerUnitCharity.