APPARATUS A Topography of Containment and Compromise, Belfast 2004-5

This work, consisting of forty images, shows areas of Belfast that have been devastated by sectarian strife. The images shift between representation and abstraction, panoramic and close-up. They capture the haunting beauty of decay and the aftermath of urban violence, the visual legacy of the 'Troubles'. Doherty has pioneered the use of photography on a grand scale to focus attention on social and political issues, particularly in relation to his own experience in Northern Ireland. Purchased by the Art Fund with the assistance of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.