NEAL CAMPBELL

It is yet another scorcher today and time for INTERVIEW WITH A VAULTER.

How’s it going Neal?

Going good so far, some days better than others but I think that’s to be expected. I’m mindful that I need to stay occupied in the interests of my mental health, so keeping pretty busy. I’ve established a pretty good daily routine of gardening, DIY, work, music, walking and socialising on Zoom, and am eating well and being careful not to treat this as a holiday and just drink all the time!

What is your living situation? Do you have outside space or are you living in an underground bunker?

We live in a 1930’s semi in east Belfast and are incredibly lucky to have a garden. I know that a lot of people are out there dealing with this crisis in precarious or difficult living circumstances, or without a home at all, so I’m reminded of how fortunate we are on a daily basis. I’m definitely not taking what I have for granted.

Our house and garden get a lot of sun, so the unusually fine weather has been a real bonus. We’ve only lived here for a few years and the garden had been a bit neglected so has been my main project so far. There’s much comfort to be taken in digging! I’ve dug up a lot of the lawn to make space to plant vegetables and pollinators, and have generally been working to make the garden a more pleasant and productive space. When the weather breaks, which inevitably it must, I have lots of long postponed jobs inside the house to occupy me.

We share our home with a small dog called Doc, who is delighted with the new arrangements which mean he is never without company. I’ve also been befriending two robins and a blackbird who are nesting nearby.

How has the pandemic affected your arts practice?

I’m a fine art photographer, whose practice is interested in social documentation and the human condition. Oddly, the pandemic has provided me with more space and time to focus on my own practice. I work at Vault as our building manager, I’m also one of the founders of Belfast Tool Library (a really great volunteer led community project which lends tools and resources to its members), and my wife Kristi (also a Vault member) and I have a busy commercial photography business, so in normal times I’m always struggling to find time for my artistic practice.

I mostly work on film rather than digital in my fine art photography, so I’ve been taking the time to revisit a lot of older negatives and reassess some work. I’m shooting a handful of frames each day on my daily walk (film is expensive, and money is tight, so I’m being frugal with my photo taking). I’m mostly documenting the back streets and byways near my home. My work is heavily inspired by the mundane and the everyday, so the place where I live has long been a subject for me, so nothing new in that regard! I’ve included some photos taken on my lockdown walks with this interview.

I have a darkroom at Vault where I develop and print my own photos, and am missing making prints, but I managed to bring home some essentials to develop my film at home.

I’m also toying with getting out of my comfort zone and taking some still life photos on large format film but have yet to start this project due to the allure of digging up my garden!

How are you coping with the temporary closing of the Vault?

I’m missing Vault a lot. As Building Manager I spend a lot of time there and take pride in doing what I can to ensure the wellbeing of our building, our organization and our membership, so there is a large Vault shaped hole in my world right now. However, I’m still working from home on Vault admin and some other projects, and we’re all staying connected online. Our community is truly exceptional and inspirational, and it’s good for the soul to see how resilient we all are through these interviews and our ongoing connections, and how our people are supporting each other.

Belfast Tool Library is also based at Vault, and I’m missing that project a lot. It’s something that I’ve put my heart and soul into over the last year and a half, and when lockdown hit we were really starting to thrive and had great plans for some new initiatives. We’ll be back strong as soon as it's safe to do so though, sharing tools, know-how and ideas and doing our bit to build community and skills.

What do you appreciate during lockdown?

Having a roof over my head, people (and a dog) that care about me, a garden and food to eat. The simple things. I’m also appreciating my records. I’ve collected records for years and have been known to DJ (very) occasionally. I’m enjoying having the time to savour and explore my record collection. I’ve been doing a live streamed show every Saturday at 2pm, spreading some positivity to an audience of 10’s mostly via the medium of disco music! So feel free to tune in for a Lockdown Getdown every Saturday (link below).

How do you imagine the future after lockdown? For yourself and the wider art world in general.

I’m taking things a day at a time right now and trying not to dwell too much on what comes after this but, honestly, I’m uncertain. In my optimistic moments, I’m hopeful that we’ll see a world that is more compassionate, community minded, cooperative and receptive to socialist politics!

Where can people find you online?

My photography is found on instagram - @n_ea_l

Belfast Tool Library – www.belfasttoollibrary.com

Saturday Livestream – www.twitch.tv/recordsfromtheattic