Ireland’s political alignment in the north of its island is fractured between a
consideration of both Irish and British identities. ‘An Unsettled Border’ reflects on
an institution within one of these divides, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.
The Orange Order is a Protestant fraternity founded in 1795. They have at their
foundation a pledge to uphold and propagate the Protestant Christian faith and
sustain British identity within a broader, increasingly secular and diverse European
island.
‘An Unsettled Border’ considers the remoteness and isolation of this intertwined
European border landscape where diminishing numbers of Orange Order members
secure the fraternities isolated and ageing meeting places. ‘An Unsettled Border’
exists amidst the complexities of Irish histories and the undertones of the wider
fragility of political circumstances.
Biography:
Raymond Brian Newman was born Belfast, Northern Ireland. He studied at University of Ulster,
graduating with a BA (Hons) Visual Communication, 1st Class, University of Ulster, Belfast in 1997.
He was awarded an MFA Distinction in Photography in 2016. His photography projects are long
term and ongoing.