War for Big words, in a Small Place

Using newspaper reports from Coleraine-based newspapers to document and reveal the contribution made by local people, both those signing up to join the regiments and those left behind, the screened images reflect on the life and times in the Coleraine Borough in the lead up to, and outbreak of the First World War.The installation seeks to capture the heady mix of patriotism, loyalty, enthusiasm and optimism regarding the war that swirled around the streets of Coleraine in 1914. Revealing these histories as they were told through Coleraine and Londonderry newspapers, the images tell the story of how the war efforts in Europe and Britain impacted on the life and times of those living in the Coleraine borough at this time. The images also explore some of the more mundane aspects of life in Coleraine, revealing the wider aspects of cultural life in the borough that went on in spite of the war. In the juxtaposition of the mundane with the monumental, the installation seeks to capture the life and times in the Coleraine borough in the lead up to, and outbreak of the First World War, and thus offers a snapshot of the War for Big Words in this Small Place.