2-6-2025 Spotlight #2 – Federica Corbelli – Italy

At Bastille in 1992, the streets filled with voices against racism. I went there with my camera, not only to follow the march but to look outward, to the edges, where life carried on. Among the crowd I found the quiet faces of bystanders—those who paused, watched, or simply passed through. These photographs hold that tension between history and the everyday, where a city’s ordinary rhythm brushed against the urgency of protest.

In 1992, Bloomsday at the Collège des Irlandais in Paris brought together lovers of James Joyce’s Ulysses for a day of readings, music, and celebration. The historic building on the Rue des Irlandais, once a home for Irish students in exile, became a lively stage for actors, scholars, and expatriates to honour Leopold Bloom’s odyssey through Dublin. In the intimate courtyard and vaulted rooms, excerpts were read in both English and French, traditional Irish tunes filled the air, and conversations flowed late into the evening—keeping alive a Parisian tradition of celebrating Joyce where history, literature, and the Irish diaspora meet.

Andrew is a social documentary photographer based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His work primarily focuses on Protestant, Unionist, and Loyalist communities within the context of a post-conflict society. In an ever-changing Northern Ireland, where demographics shift and political landscapes change, Andrew’s work tries to capture the heartbeat of this, often marginalised, community. After studying photography at Ulster University, Andrew’s work has been featured on the BBC Iplayer, in the Irish News, Belfast Telegraph, the Belfast Archive Project, and Le Point Magazine. Contact the photographer here https://www.instagram.com/andrewj.98/?hl=en