Offshore: Rathlin

Some news!
New project. New exhibition. New book.
The group exhibition, entitled O U T | T U O, will open on the 17th of January at Catalyst Arts, Belfast.

[Rathlin seascape, July 2010]

Offshore

Rathlin Island, situated on the northeast coast of County Antrim, has long been an entrancing personal interest and thus became the subject for this project.  It is surrounded by some of the most treacherous waters in Ireland, existing as a flux point for three seas, and with a diverse range of ecosystems it is home to creatures both rare and hardy.  Much like the island of Shakespeare’s The Tempest this magical place is saturated in secrets and stories, over the years Rathlin Island has been home to the King of Scotland and was where the Vikings first landed on their conquest of Ireland.  In the last century the population has been in decline, yet earlier this year a large housing development was completed with the intention of restoring and reinvigorating the island.  As an island under a state of change this was the optimum window to visit and document Rathlin.

Offshore is a photographic essay based on a personal journey to Rathlin Island, where both the journey and the destination are framed through mono no aware - the poetry of the everyday.  The Japanese aesthetic philosophy of mono no aware, in the simplest definition, celebrates the transience of all things and the beauty of their passing.  This is very common in Japanese literature and poetry, where seasonal imagery (kigo), banal actions and simple gestures become immortalised.  As such, a haiku can also be seen as a snapshot.

-PM

November, at a furious pace (kind of).

November has started and I am back making new project work.  The additional driving force for this is that I am participating in a group show with Catalyst Arts in January.  This upcoming show will open a busier year for me, in terms of photography, as I have not been able to devote time this year to exhibiting new work.  On the plus side 2011 has allowed me to complete other projects, such as 100 Portraits in 100 Days, which is finally for sale.  So, I aim to hit the ground running in 2013.

[Hard cover edition of 100 Portraits in 100 Days]

After the hectic pace of the first half of the year I am taking the opportunity to reduce the tempo and refocus, whilst creating new work.  I have been watching more films by Ozu Yasujiro and it they have only helped confirm the need for mono no aware within contemporary art, and modern living.  His films amble along and include mundane social events, eating and drinking taking the centre stage.  After my involvement in the extravagance of fictional filmmaking earlier this year, this 'return to normal' will be a welcome change.

[Tokyo Story, Ozu Yasujiro, 1953]

The Japanese aesthetic of mono no aware (simply put, "the pathos of things" where life's transience is celebrated) has fascinated me for some time, and it has been influencing my photography and writing for some time, for example my photobook FLUX is essentially an urban haiku.  This will be an aesthetic I will continue exploring and writing on throughout the next few months, in relation to my project work, so expect plenty of posts detailing photography, filmmaking, anime, poetry, and creative writing.

(For more information on Ozu and his films please read this insightful article by Ian Buruma, writing for The Guardian.)

On a side note I have recently enjoyed photographing my family.  Helen van Meene's adolescent portrait photography, when I first saw it, made a huge impact on me.  Aside from the beautiful images she was creating, van Meene was documenting people and bodies undergoing metamorphosis, changing physically from children into adults and emotionally into fully fledged personalities.  On a recent trip up home I was able to spend time with a pair of my cousins who are currently enjoying their teenage years, I am now convinced it may be one of the best time to photograph anyone.

[Meghan in White on Purple; October 2012]

[Ronan in Purple on White; October 2012]

-PM

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