A Visionary of Collage: The Immersive Worlds of Seán Hillen Born in 1961 in the border town of Newry, County Down, Seán Hillen’s artistic consciousness was forged in the crucible of Northern Ireland’s most turbulent era. Growing up amidst the "utter chaos" of the Troubles, Hillen experienced a landscape defined by division, uncertainty, and the pervasive presence of conflict. It was during his teenage years that his parents, seeking to provide an alternative path away from the political violence surrounding them, gifted him his first camera. This act of parental foresight did more than just…