Art Works > Selected Works.1983-87. Gerry Gleason.

This image is a personal reflection on the 'ring of steel' put in place to protect people and businesses in the city centre during the troubles from car bombs which were devastating that square mile.
It is built up from fragments to reflect the destructive power of explosions in an urban environment and the fragmentation of communities that was occurring at that time.
Its colours,as some would say,almost tribal.
To gain access to my studio I had to pass through turn-styles or face body searches at security gates and shops. All but a few gates closed at 6p.m.,creating a ghost town.
To me, I felt like a bird in a gilded cage,protected, but at the same time it felt oppressive and one longed for the normality I observed when travelling outside that City fortress..
I felt this was not a media image but one that evolved from the lived-in experience through a longer period of observation and absorption.