Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, has plagued Lough Neagh in recent years.

Lough Neagh is located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest fresh water lake across both the UK and Ireland, and it supplies over 40% of Northern Ireland’s drinking water.

Lough Neagh is experiencing an environmental crisis due to the proliferation of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, as a result of pollution runoff from industrial and agricultural practices. These algal blooms are highly toxic and harmful to wildlife, domestic animals, and people.

In an artistic response to this crisis, I photographed wildlife around Lough Neagh on 35mm film. Prior to development, I souped the film in water from Lough Neagh which was contaminated with cyanobacteria. As a result of this process, the film developed spots where the emulsion was eaten away. I then digitally scanned the film, printed it negatives on acetate, and printed the images through cyanotype.

Using cyanotype to make these images is both a nod to the cyanobacteria which is the subject of this work, as well as an attempt to jar the viewer by using an otherworldly blue hue to depict the natural world.

See the following resources for more information about blue-green algae at Lough Neagh: Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs, Lough Neagh Partnership, Queen’s University Belfast research project, and 2023 NI Assembly briefing paper.