Offshore (book design complete!)

With days to the OUT | TUO show opening at Catalyst Arts I can happily say that I have finished the design process of the Offshore photobook.  Naturally this will not printed or shipped in time for the opening, but they will arrive before the exhibition closes and before February's Late Night Art.

Now, back to waiting on my prints and then the install.

-PM

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

Project 366

Project 366


This project means that I MUST take one photo every day in 2008.

The work so far can be viewed at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paradox-pictures/

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As I am so far behind in posting this up I will just have a one of my favourite images for each month.


Jan: It came and went all too fast! This was the first month where the mind set of taking a photo had to be installed... I think it has stuck! It was a good month to start on as I had a trip to London and a small break in Budapest to document. I only hope that the other months are as fruitful. =]



Feb: The month to end other months! It was a month of parties and tom-foolery... I think we (my friends and I) had a party or two each week due to birthdays! I cant say that I went out of my way to get a 'good' photo for Valentine's Day or the 29th. I know they are special days but... I am a busy student! =]


March: Finally, the camera comes everywhere with me. Now all I have to do is get used to writing in this blog! I think that taking a photo everyday really forces you to 'see' the world. You are constantly looking for 'that' shot or weighing every scene up in terms of composition.

April: The planning had begun for the summer months! I will be venturing to Japan for 2 weeks in June so all funding will be thrust toward this. Aside from the planning this was the season for project work and essay deadlines at Uni- so there was plenty of stressing. However, it was also packed with fun things: Full Metal Racket [the largest all-day metal festival in Belfast], random trips [to friends houses and odd beaches] and... jump days [nothing like jumping to make you laugh so far that your spleen wants to 'splode!]

May: Finally I am up to date! The work just keeps pouring in... But, I am loving it. As my lecturer says, "Projects are outlined by deadlines and chaos." It turns out that I thrive on both deadlines and chaos... So, this is good for me. I have an exhibition coming up as part of the Queen's Centinery Year as well as having work shown in the QFT [Queen's Film Theatre]. Sadly I will miss the QFT exhibition but I will be in Japan so- its OK!

June: Spent finishing up university classes and prepping the Re-Collecting exhibition work. The last two weeks were spent in Japan- see the Discovering Japan post for the details.

See it all on flickr. I have gotten so far behind in this post that the day to day aspect of it all is better found on flickr. =]