Traces of Traces: An Exploration of the Albums of William McKinney

A new photographic exhibition of work by Ulster academic  Professor Sarah Edge is now open for viewing at Fort Dunree, Co Donegal. The exhibition features images exploring the ties between Ulster and its Scots heritage, focusing on the works of early Ulster photographer William McKinney

The bond between Inishowen and Scotland is particularly rich - from a heritage of shared ballads to language to family ties, from Scots people who came to settle in Ulster, to Donegal migrant workers and emigrants travelling back and forth between Inishowen to Scotland. Artlink’s exhibition at Fort Dunree from June and through the Earagail Arts Festival 2011 is a fascinating insight into how an early Ulster photographer played his part in the forging of an Ulster-Scots relationship.

In this exhibition the contemporary artist and photographer Sarah Edge make a new series of photographs looking at the photography collection of 19th century Ulster photographer William McKinney (which contains hundreds of fascinating personal 19th century family images and studies of rural workers and rural scenes).

The Coleraine-based artist's work looks at the visual traces that the William McKinney has left behind at his ancestral home in Sentry Hill, County Antrim which can work as clues to us unpicking his intentions within his own photographs. Alongside this exhibition and as part of her Artlink darkroom residency Sarah Edge will run a series of workshops that will use personal family photographs to investigate aspects of their own personal identities.

Sarah Edge is Professor of Photography and Cultural Studies at the University of Ulster where she is a member of the Centre for Media Research.