DISTANCE AND THE SMALL WORLD!

I am so delighted to have found this report on the facebook page of the Immigration Museum Melbourne, Australia, as it proves several things, That the world is a small place, That distances don't really matter where media is concerned, and that good work will be celebrated especially when it receives  accolade.The post can be studied in detail here. The report also points to the full site of the show hosted by the Immigration Museum in October 2012, The high point of my photographic career to date. Also contained on the site is the video report made especially for the Australian presentation.
The text of the post reads' David Monahan’s wonderful publication 'On Leaving' has won a major award at the Irish Print Awards. The now award winning publication followed on from the Leaving Dublin exhibition held at Immigration Museum in 2012.' It goes on to point to an article that the museum staff  found whilst trawling the internet. an article from the newspaper Newtownabbey Times.
A report based on a press release that two days earlier I had contributed too. And so the world goes round I speak some words down the phone to Peter in Mallusk ( A townland Name I had no knowledge off till I saw this report from Australia),He includes my input  in his press release, Its printed in the local newspaper in Newtonabbey, and then  its reported on in Melbourne in time for me to see it on face book.
Here is the text of the press release!

Mallusk firm Nicholson Bass won the much coveted awards for ‘Best Irish Printed Book’ and ‘Best Irish Printed Magazine’ at the recent Irish Print Awards, held in Dublin.

The book, ‘On Leaving’ by David Monanhan, is a photographic conversational piece depicting the current wave of Irish emigration following the economic crash in 2008.
The judges described the publication as “a truly classic book with excellent printing, binding and overall appearance.”
David Monahan commented: “When myself and accomplished designer Niall McCormack set out to find a printer for our project we had two key goals, to print it locally and to have the best result. This was made possible by the skilled team at Nicholson Bass and we had the impression on our first trip to Belfast that they were the best in Ireland. Now we have proof!”
‘Freckle’ is an independently published magazine celebrating the people and landscapes of Northern Ireland and beyond. It is all reproduced on recycled material.
Praising Nicholson Bass for their work on the publication, the competition judges said: “This magazine has everything, the look and feel are superb, the quality of the colours used and the reproduction is excellent.”
Jonathan Megarry, Managing Director of Nicholson Bass commented: “These awards are a true compliment to everyone in our business and rubber stamps all the good work that every member of staff has helped contribute to.
“It is genuinely enjoyable to work with customers who have the same passion for what they do as we do. Nicholson Bass are not just a printing company, we try to inspire and connect through the medium of print and projects like these do that.”


 Its great once more to make this kind of connection with the Immigration Museum, and I am delighted when evidence that their faith in my work was well placed.
Personally I am  also delighted for Myself, designer Niall McCormack, and of course  Nicolson Bass.
Together we produced the best printed book in Ireland of 2015. Fantastic.
If you would like a copy of this book which celebrates  the heroes of modern Ireland,( those who emigrated after the financial crash of 2008-9) I have a special end of year offer if you go to the site to purchase the book( onleaving.com) and use the code  smallworld 1 you will get free postage anywhere in this small world for nothing. This time at least distance will have no significance!

Oh, and please comment and share this post across your social networks, it could reach further!

RELATIVITY!

Yes! the internet makes the world a smaller and much more accessible place that's the truth.
Sure it's that concept which breathed life into my own blog, The Lilliputian, a photographic blog for the small world.
It's only when I stepped outside my hall door in Dublin and put one foot after the other that the scale of the world re-established itself in my head.
I have been away for over 8 weeks now and I have visited so many fantastic people in so many cities.
It took 23 hours to shoot us across the world to the Immigration Museum in Melbourne. Once arrived there Jet Lag and the hard work of winding up publicity to the opening of the "Leaving Dublin" exhibition immediatly took its toll and wiped out the first 12 days of the journey. (But what a 12 days!!)
It was only a week and a half into the trip that I started to wake up as I prepared to travel off to visit some of my sitters who had settled in Australia and New Zealand.

BIG THANKS LISA & ALL AT THE MUSEUM!!

I am sitting outside the Frisco hotel, on Dowling,in Woolloomooloo,Sydney Australia. Its 10.41.November 6th 2012

There,Thats me located in this moment.

So much has happened in the last 2weeks or so its mind blowing!

I have been to 3 radio stations,Talked to 4 more on the phone.here is one

 news of the work appeared in two national and on Victorian news papers.

I met with the Directors of the centre for contemporary photography(Melbourne)

And the Director of the Australian centre for photography(Sydney)

Two Fantastic people who were delighted to share their knowledge of  Australian systems with me. I am really looking forward to developing the  relationship with Australia that has been started with the Leaving Dublin exhibition at the Immigration Museum,Melbourne.

In Melbourne all was amazing!

As expected by the exacting yet fluid nature of communications from the Museum over the last 10 months,all at the museum flowed,nothing was left to chance,all works were completed and the exhibition was in place as per spec. on my arrival. Everthing looked so right nothing needed to be moved only one adjustment needed to be made to the biggest image,that of Aoife O'Donnell.

The graphics in the entrance corridor were sweet,the red wall at the end phenomenal.,the colour palate for text,wall,and furniture, all allowed the work to sing as it was intended,about the colourful characters who came from the colourful city Dublin.

The QR code was in place to take people here,the running order of the show,with links to each post as they appeared on the blog however many months before that might have been.

On the night of the opening I think I was just coming out of the jet lag zone,although it may have been that I was on an adrenaline buzz but it was all good.

the CEO of  Museum Victoria, Dr Patrick Greene,opened proceedings,and the museums Manager Padmini Sabastian spoke also and made it so easy for me to then speak off the cuff.

The most important thing I had to say on the night was a heartfelt thank you to all at the museum but in particular to Lisa Collins the person who silently pulled the whole thing together!
The work was also brought to life by the presence of two sitters Conor Savage and Elaine Bannon,they really felt the moment and no doubt

Frances Devlin Glass wrote a great review for Tinteán,and we met so many friends of friends at the opening who have relocated here.Simon Spain,Victoria Rhyle and their daughter Georgia,Terry Mahon ,J.P. Tansey and his beautiful wife Rebecca, Dawn Bennett,Meredith Chipperton,and the fantastic John Francis, journalist who put together the great video piece at the expo.

Diane and  Patrice of Credo communications made my life so stress free during the prelaunch publicity.

All is going so well on this trip and already I have made new work on film with Trish and Stephen and Lynn all in glorious monochrome.

Time has moved on!

Its Late in the evening now and I am holed up in the blue mountains outside Sydney in a couple of days i will be in Perth to follow up on more of my sitters.As I travel I will keep posting images to fb and tumblr  so keep an eye out as they say and know that this project has started to roll with big thanks to the photoireland festival and the Immigration museum melbourne!!

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