Hill Pictures

“Hill Pictures” documents the long-term conservation of the Belfast Hills: Slievenacloy, Colin Glen, Divis and the Black Mountain, Ligoniel, Cave Hill, and Carnmoney Hill. The project traces how people move through, care for, and remain connected to these landscapes. The series follows both human presence and natural processes across the hillsides, paying attention to subtle gestures, seasonal change, and the slow rhythms of outdoor life at the edge of the city.

Developed with the support of the Belfast Hills Partnership, the National Trust, local volunteers, and youth groups, the project brings together moments of quiet exploration, chance encounters, and everyday recreation with the often-invisible labour of conservation. Images of tree planting, habitat management, and scarred ground left by recurring wildfires speak to the fragility of these environments, particularly those closest to urban areas, and to the ongoing commitment required to protect them.

A central strand of the project emerged through photographic workshops with young people across Divis, Black Mountain, and Cave Hill. Working with Polaroid cameras, participants documented the hills themselves, producing images that are spontaneous, tactile, and collaborative. This process shaped how young people appear in the work not as subjects observed from a distance, but as active participants whose curiosity, playfulness, and shared experiences are foregrounded.

This collaborative approach reflects a broader belief underpinning the project: that creative engagement with the natural world is vital for nurturing the emotional and social connections needed to confront the climate crisis. In one photograph, two young women climbing together on Cave Hill embody the hills’ role as spaces of connection to nature, to one another, and to the city beyond. “Hill Pictures” functions both as a love letter to the Belfast Hills and as a meditation on the layered, evolving relationships between people and place.

Polly Garnett is part of Issue 18 by Guest Editor Hank Willis Thomas.