The Plot

Spy games, espionage and secret documents: with The Plot , Irish photographer Martin Cregg presents an artistic enquiry into the covert intelligence war between the IRA and British agents during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921). Through a dialogue between photographs and historical documents as well as archival materials, the work traces a complex narrative of republican resistance—revealing efforts to dismantle Crown forces in Dublin and overthrow British rule in Ireland. Cregg’s research led him to photograph sites once used for military drills and training, undercover munitions factories, and safe houses. These images are interwoven with excerpts from intelligence files and witness interviews drawn from the archives of the Bureau of Military History, creating a layered exploration of secrecy, surveillance, and the politics of resistance. Like the archival material it draws upon, the book itself must first be »opened up.« Its contents become accessible—and irrevocably »unsealed«—only once the sealed dust jacket has been cut open along the front edge of the book, following the dotted line, using a letter opener or another sharp blade Hardcover with open thread stitching and banderole · 17 × 22 cm · 288 pages · 210 color illustrations · English · ISBN 978-3-96900-229-2. Texts: Martin Cregg. Design: Kehrer Design (Martin Lutz) in collaboration with Martin Cregg.