Island Talk 2
1st March 2023
Talk 1 - Fionn McCann
Fionn McCann is a photographer based in Dublin.
Artist’s Statement: I have always been drawn to the form, shape and geometry of buildings, landscape and people. The exploration of these elements within the frame and the necessary subtraction, addition or alterations have always been the magic of photography for me. Composed with either natural or artificial light, the approach could be described as slow documentary. Over the last number of years I have become increasingly interested in the impact man leaves on the environment be it unintentional or otherwise. Having photographed quarries, landscapes, industrial spaces and the people who inhabit them, I feel honoured to have seen behind the curtain of an otherwise veiled world.
He presented an ongoing project - This body of work records the ending of the national peat manufacturing industry in Ireland and the effect that this will or is having upon the landscape itself, not to mention the people who will be affected by this end of an era change. The historical legacy forms the backdrop for a reflection on the present while being weighed up against new realities of environmental decline, societal neglect and economic dispossession.
Talk 2 - Brían Sparks
Brian Sparks is a Dublin based photographer and photobook collector with a background working with innovation and product development. He enjoys surprises and is interested in photographic typologies and unposed, candid photography.
He presented The Photobookcombos project, a concept that creates a dialogue between two photobooks, an idea hatched in November 2021 during an intense period of photobook research. When photographs, photographers and concepts merge, connect and synthesize in the memory, the gesture of combining photobooks can become a creative act in itself.
Contemplating books to pair and the quiet reflection during the practice of pairing offers an invitation to appreciate photographic projects from a fresh perspective. Brían shared insights on his process and inspirations guided by examples and illustrations. Brían Sparks
