Martijn van de Griendt: Ballymun

Ballymun by Martijn van de Griendt Unemployment, boredom, drug abuse--these are the difficulties that people of Ballymun had to face. Built in the 1960s, the housing complex was intended to relocate the inhabitants of inner-city slums to the outskirts of Dublin. Although the neighbourhood changed a lot since that time, the Dutch photographer Martijn van de Griendt has managed to capture its spirit in the early 2000s. Due to the lack of sufficient public amenities, the Ballymun community suffered from many social problems such as rampant crime and alcohol abuse. Characteristic for its so-called „seven towers”, the high rise blocks of flats, the area was even mentioned in one of U2 songs. Because of the bad reputation of the neighbourhood, its residents have also met with discrimination while seeking jobs outside the suburb. Despite the negative perception of Ballymun, a strong sense of pride prevailed among the community. Its everyday life was captured in the project of Dutch photographer Martijn van de Griendt. Since graduating in 1997, he worked for many magazines and newspapers in the Netherlands. His background in journalism and art manifests in his works - bold both visually and thematically. Martijn started taking photos when he was 14 with portraying his younger brother. „I took photos of him for years. And it was through those photos that my fascination for making personal documentaries evolved. All the series you see on my site are my own ideas, usually taken over a longer period. My images always have something to do with people.” Although particularly fascinated by today’s youth, Martijn has an exceptional sense of capturing the sociological phenomena in general. „People often think my photos are snapshots, which I take as a compliment. My photographs are very much influenced by my feelings. What's important to me is capturing the moment the subjects reveal their true selves.” Although started in 1999, the project Ballymun is going to be continued. As the area was renewed and a lot of changed over the years, Martijn admits that he may go back there with his camera soon. Words: Thisispaper Photography: Martijn van de Griendt