Fergus Jordan's 'Under Cover of Darkness'

I posted about my visit to the BookMarket the other day, and one of the treasures I came away with was a photography book, 'Under Cover of Darkness,' of the work of Fergus Jordan, Belfast-based photographer and researcher. I was drawn into the moody, almost ominous atmosphere of his photos, which focus on the city at night. They have an ethereal, eerie quality that plays into our innate uneasiness, even suspicion of the dark. Knowing as we do how darkness can seem to envelope us and cut off our access visibly and psychologically to the space around us, Jordan's work taps into this feeling of uneasiness, mystery and curiosity about what lies beyond what we cannot see. In some cases, street lamps have been edited out of the photo, so a pool of light dimly illuminates a street but confusingly there is no light source. I like these little tricks.

All the works below are from the Under Cover of Darkness series.

Blacklight (2011)

On the Periphery of the New Lodge, X (2010)

Mutual Distrust (2009)

Unknown Territories, Belfast, V (2009)

Enhanced Visibility, IX (2009)

All photos are via Fergus Jordan's marvelously comprehensive and informative website, which I definitely urge you to check out to find much more of his work and his writing as well!

Cheers,

Kate xx