FIVE YEARS ON!!

Wow Its still bitterly cold in Dublin and Iv'e been out working in it a couple of times this week.
The project gets stronger and stronger as more types of people come forward for inclusion.I met Anna Vareil at a class I give at the gallery of photography and when she told me she was leaving Dublin
I showed her my project and she was more than impressed . Quickly we found a location and we got on with it.I was anxious to shoot a lot this week as my project was singled out byCBS news as a story worth covering.From their perspective emigration stories where old news but infused with the magic of beautiful photographic imagery those same stories become little nuggets of light lighting up the night sky of a very very cold,but interesting nation.
They wanted to film me shooting a shot so I arranged three shots over 2 nights just incase anything went amiss.More about this in our next few posts!!
We shot on Rainsfort street dublin(thats the Guiness hop store in the background),Aplace chosen by Anna Vareil
as deeply significant in her stay in Dublin.Anna spent over 5 years in dublin and worked as a credit controller with Deloitte and Touche is returning home to Bordeaux for christmas before moving to Africa to work with medecins sans frontieres
here is what she had to say
"Am I sad to leave Ireland? I would say yes, I will miss the irish people, their laugh, sense of humor and the way they know how to enjoy life. They have something authentic and true, the nicest people I have ever met!
I think that once you have been in Ireland for several years, ireland gets into u and I know that I feel now a bit Irish. I will always carry a bit of Ireland with me wherever I go! I have fantastic memories here in Dublin, I have met great personalities, and I will definitely miss my friends and the evenings at the pub!!! .

for this shot Artur Sikora and Gemma Geraghty looked after lighting quite fantastically

and Agnes Reau caught it all on video for CBS

thankyou for all the positive feedback to date.

please continue to share this blog by using the buttons below,or follow on facebook by clicking the networked blogs follow button on the top right.

Comments are always answered and greatly appreciated so keep doing it !

thanks

david

THIS CITY REALLY SUITED ME

Its been a very strange week or two.Ice and snow covered dublin and our great dictator continued dictating as if his tenure was assured no matter who he alienated.

On Tuesday we had a budget and I was delighted to be busy for the day.

The other Brian was on his feet at 3.45, I was finishing preparations for a class I was to give at 6 o clock.

All went well and afterward I drove direct to grand canal dock ,waited in the cold and was joined first by Artur,then Brian Daly.Gemma then arrived with Martina a friend and the subject of the nights shoot.

When Hugh Arrived we set off across the canal and got on with our business of the day.

Celebrating the greatness of another leaving this city.

I Missed it all,Lost in the glory of photography for hours!!

Here is what Martina had to say

"I'm returning back home, to the north-east of Italy, and I've lived in Dublin for the last 6 months. I worked in an art gallery and I fell in love with Dublin again.

I first came here in 1999 for a holiday and I always wanted to return and live here for a while. After such a long time (more than 10 years) I made it happened and it's been the realisation of a dream.
I could say that my favourite thing here are the people.
Irish people are unbelievably warm when you have the opportunity to know them.
I had a great time here and I feel grown as a person and ready for new experiences like this one. Believe me or not, I'm really going to miss this city and the last 6 months spent trying to be a dubliner...this city really suited me."

The one thing that sustains me through this very difficult fabrication in which we now live is the work that I do for my love of people and their spirit.The vast majority of people here in ireland are trapped in a shrinking world whilst those who choose to leave slip into a bigger space filled with hope and expectation for a good life ahead.

I wish them all success and thank them all for pausing a while with me,someone who wishes to celebrate their brilliance as they move on to greater things.

Now lets commit this entire cabinet to history.

Comments appreciated!!

if you do facebook please click the networked blogs tab top right

thanks to all

David

A SECOND CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS!

There is a larger version of the video available on my public folder just click here and hit the file and download buttons to receive, put it on your iphones, ipads or email it to friends you know who may be leaving. The soundtrack is by Charlotte Gainsbourg and although my participants my not be journeying to the centre of the light suggested by her lyric, there are some interesting travelling images and suggestion of launching off into the unknown.

I have to say I am absolutely delighted to have got this far with the leaving dublin project, but there is still a long way to go to capture the true breadth of the change in the dynamic of our population caused by this shift to being a net exporter of people. So far I have met with a fantastic group of people covering a very broad section of our society with different hopes, needs and aspirations. Some making a necessitous change others following their hearts desire for adventure and new experiences.
During the course of making this piece I have experienced nothing but good vibes from all around especially the general public who's space we have always occupied whilst making this work. There was the helpful and cheery roadie at the rear of Whelans on Liberty Lane, the free coffees and use of space at the Bistro on Casltle Market, to the curious security guard in the G.P.O. and of course the curious Garda detectives at St Michaels Estate, to name but a few!! Indeed we have been from pillar to post location wise as we have moved from deep city to suburbia to the coast and back again. The project is indeed becoming a portrait of a city and those that the city has chosen to do without.

But looking at the faces of all of the participants they carry their confidence to new cities with a steadiness of spirit which has impressed me greatly. It has been a pleasure for me with the aid of Artur, Brian, Hugh and Gemma to provide these participants and the nation they leave behind with a visual record of their greatness as they prepare to meet new challenges up ahead. I suppose one could say to an extent they are lucky to escape this place especially considering the sad state of affairs we are experiencing at present. And indeed it even looks like the legacy Bertie Ahern had written for himself (peace process hero) is about to be denied him by the Irish peoples final realisation that our Government through these 13 years has become totally deluded and incapable of leading.  Any good achieved through this time is about to evaporate as we give up our sovereignty to the E.C.B. and I.M.F. liquidity fund!! To those in Ireland,  I say write to your FF T.D. and ask them to resign!!! help them see they are not wanted anymore.Tell them to go away! Be done with them!!!!

Ahemmm!!

All that to one side I have a little project to get on with here and the reason for this post is to present you with the work done so far and look for a pat on the back, but a slightly different pat on the back.
What I want you to do is to become active for me in spreading this post via your own contacts,(social netwoking,fb and twitter etc,)  Indeed by seeking out the most important element in this project
INHABITANTS OF DUBLIN WHO ARE LEAVING. It is my wish to take the number of shots up to 70 or there about and that will take a good bit of research. But this process can be greatly aided by you working on my behalf and I do promise full recognition of all help received. So please point those you know as people on the move to my blog and viewbook page, encourage them to email me if they like what they see and they too can become part of this historical documentation process!!
A clear picture by picture overview of the project is available at my viewbook page right here.
If you are on facebook please use networked blogs to follow this blog and vote and share the posts
via the buttons provided!!
thank you
David Monahan

CLOSE AND EASY TRANSITION

Storms were forecast on Saturday last as I made final preparations for another leaving dublin shot. I had taken calls from Gemma, one of the crew and from my subject Catherine Flynn who were both wondering if it was safe to proceed if rain was to disrupt the evening.
For some reason I was filled with optimism about the weather and felt all would be ok. Thats just how it turned out!
Not so the case with our little Nation as the two Brian's (helped by a whole load of Mary's) feel hellbent on returning this little country of ours to the peripheral position it once held on the edge of europe. It looks like our faith in the European project to deliver us freedom from hard times is about to be dashed, and Ireland not long free is at danger of being classified once more a colony, but with a new master!!
Its no wonder so many are leaving, and I feel the best chances lie with those who are tripping outside the Eurozone. Such a person is Catherine Flynn, she has just left for London (home of sterling) and I wish her well.
We had a great shoot on Baggott Street Bridge, just after eight on Saturday night.
Here is what she had to say
"I’m originally from Co. Meath, living in Dublin since college (about 13 years

I’m probably in a lucky position as I didn’t ‘have’ to leave Dublin. I’m mainly leaving for career reasons and for a chance to experience living in a completely new city. After ten years working and living in Dublin, I felt I wanted to shake things up and challenge myself more – the industry I work in is small and while I’ve gained some great experience, I want to keep developing and learn from the best in the business internationally, not just locally. I’d been thinking about making the move abroad since earlier this year but it all happened kind of quickly in the end – during the summer I applied for a job with an agency in the UK that I had admired for a long time and was lucky enough to get it – so the move over the water then had to be made!

My new job is Account Director at We Are Social who are a ‘conversation agency’ specializing in social media communication, which has long been a huge interest of mine.

I was with the advertising agency Rothco in Dublin for 6 years. I started off as an Account Manager, spent a few years as an Account Director on some big advertising accounts such as AIB, and then was head of their digital team for about a year and a half till I left last month.My office for the past 2 years was based just off Baggot St and one of the things I'll miss is my daily hops over Baggot St bridge for my morning coffee from Coffee 2 Go, which still hasn't been beaten by any of Soho's many coffee shops.

I have mixed feelings about leaving Dublin and in many ways I’m a little in denial about the fact that I’m ‘emigrating’ or have left at all (even though I now officially live and work in London!). I loved living in Dublin – I had a great life and circle of friends there, so London versus more far flung places was preferable for me so that I would relatively easily be able to visit friends and family at weekends. I also met my boyfriend not long before the London opportunity came up for me, so it made what would otherwise have been a really easy decision a little bit more difficult. Thankfully he’s been great about it so there will be pretty frequent trips home for me – and also someone to explore a new city with when he comes to visit me here. Overall, I’m really excited about London and really enjoying life here so far (a whole 2 weeks in)… I guess I have the best of both places now. So long may that continue."
So there we are, a story we have heard before here at the Lilliputian the Irish seeking adventure and challenges abroad. I wish Catherine good fortune in all that she does in London, and thank her for getting in touch after seeing this blog 2 weeks ago.
Big thanks to Gemma Geraghty, Artur Sikora and Hugh Mc Cabe who were on hand to make it all happen.
If you are on your way out of town please drop me a line via email.
Please use the sociable buttons below to share this post via twitter and facebook or mail.
And of course please comment, it helps keep the ship straight!

STILL PRINTING

You may remember in a previous post I alluded to the fact that I was a very capable printer of all photographic and high end artistic projects. Recently I have been involved in 2 projects which have and will be the subject of much media coverage. So, I just wanted to get this off my chest and state it for the record that I did all of the printing for the current show in the National Photographic Archive in Meeting House Square Dublin and about 40 prints for the 20th anniversary show in IMMA also in Dublin

The show in the National Photo Archive is called Power and Privilege and documents the central position held by the big house in irish society from the early days of photography right up to the withdrawal of the British state from the 26 counties that now form the Republic of Ireland(1858-1922).
It is a fascinating collection of images and its power is greatly helped by the presentation.
During the preparation of the exhibition I worked very closely with the curatorial team in making key decisions about sizing, paper type and the means of production. Most of the work came straight from glass negatives and was processed by photographing the plate on a lightbox with the Amazing Hasselblad h3d 50 and the totally sharp Hasselblad H Series HC Macro 120mm f/4. The work was then optimised by pulling it through phocus (hasselblads capture software) then into photoshop for batch inversion from negative to positive, then into lightroom for fine tuning and on into silver fx pro for final adjustments and toning.

This all sounds fairly straight forward but there is one extra ingredient in the mix that some misguided individuals don't value too much these days! And that is the human touch of deep experience.You can't come to photo processing from a standing start and get it right just because you have the right gear, and the tools are only of real value to those who know and understand their true depth. I have worked with glass plates for some 14 years and I know what I am looking at and this has been a major contribution to the look and success of this show (but it is actually invisible and this is how it should be). If you want to see good reproductions from glass plates and small original prints this show is a must.

The Moderns is a huge undertaking by the Staff and Friends of IMMA at Kilmainham and draws from the core collections of IMMA but includes works from other collections like the National Museum, National Library and the Hugh Lane Gallery. Again I was delighted to be asked to shoot and print the works from the National Photographic Archive and some works from the archives of Dublin's various architectural practices. If you are considering hiring me to do your printing, the works in IMMA that I have printed are the following: Six photographs shot by Elinor Wiltshire, four by Fergus Bourke and five prints from the Roger Casement collection. Also in the design section I made some 25 prints from various architects back catalogue these include shots of RTE, Busaras, Ard Na Crusha. etc.


Bye the bye if you are into original vintage photographic prints there is a real treat for you in the Gallery of photography also on meeting house square.
The collectors Eye is an amazing exhibition which give great insight into one mans quest for the greatest
photographs of Irish interest and beyond.Sean Sexton(the collector in question) is a man with great passion for all the emotions a photograph can convey,I met him one night in the gallery a few nights before the opening,and I was blown away by his huge aura and enthusiasm for all things photographic.
It should be up for 3 more weeks or so,so don't miss it.

So to finish this post and get to the point,I am still trying to pull together a type 55 exhibition for next summer.See some of my here
I had a good response to an appeal for contributors but I am still waiting for work from all but one of those who showed an interest.
The Idea is to marry my skill in scanning and printing to put together a memorable show of the finest photographs in this medium,representing Ireland ,Europe and the U.S.A.All in homage to this fine and now,never to be revived films.Probably one of the best tools for expression in black and white photography
I am hoping this post will jog some memories or indeed catch some users of this film's attention and send them my way.
There is no structure or theme to this show save that of the beauty that exists within the frame of a sheet of type 55. If you feel you have some good examples of this please contact me at dmon@me.com
I really want to get this post to a maximum amount of Artists using this medium so PLEASE,PLEASE
use the SHARE BUTTONS below to share on facebook and to Tweet this post.
Thank you!
David

RETURNING TO LEAVE!

Aside from those forced to leave Dublin in the recent months please bear a thought for those who have left in order to see another side to life. Only to find that things
have changed so much here since their departure that there would be no prospects of employment if they wished to return!
This weekend I met Trish O Gorman and Stephen Gill,A couple who left Ireland a year and a half ago,shortly after their wedding,to sample life in Sydney Australia.
It looks like they will be there for some time yet as things will not be good for a return home for some years to come.
Heres what Trish had to say about the experience,
"We had both spent time in Australia previously. I backpacked there for a year when I was 21 and Stephen had been there a couple of times to visit his brother who lives in Sydney. It's somewhere we both loved and we thought it would be nice to go and live somewhere new for a few years so Sydney was an easy choice!

I work in Public Relations and Stephen works for a Civil Engineering company

We left Dublin in January 2009 and have lived in Sydney since April 2009. We were happy to leave when we did as it was something we had planned. We do miss friends and family back home though. We've been back twice since we left and really enjoy visiting home again and spending time in Dublin catching up with old faces and places.We really love life in Sydney and the outdoorsy, fun and laid-back lifestyle that goes with it. That's not to say that Dublin isn't somewhere we'd consider living again in the future however as we both love the city. I had lived here for ten years before we left and could definitely see myself living here again."

thanks again to Artur Sikora and Hugh mc Cabe who lit up the night again and fought off the Stoneybatter foxes!!

Thanks to Jeannie Wenham for putting me in touch with Trish and Stephen.

please share and comment on this post!!
its easy to mail,post to facebook,or tweet thiss post by using the social buttons below.
Thanks,
David

AN AUTUMN DEPARTURE!

Before I start there are some thank you's I have got to say!!
Big thanks to Andy Jordan for being so kind to me with his video edit!
you can see his wall street journal online piece on Ireland here
Big thanks to Noreen Bowden of globalirish for putting my name out there
Big thanks to photoireland festival for the banner headline on their blog
Big thanks to Daniel Scully for connecting me with the people in IMMA last week (perfect timing)
Big thanks Johanne Mullan for taking time out in a very busy week to organise security clearance at IMMA for us.
Big thanks to Kim Haughton for putting Jonas my way.
And big thanks to Artur Sikora for shining the light so right!!

It was a pure delight to have to scout a location in the grounds of IMMA, at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Autumn was in the air and leaves and conkers were all around, the sun was low and every inch of the formal garden exuded beauty. So I made several shots thinking about the final composition and where my sitter Jonas Voss was going to sit within.
On my way back up from the garden I was drawn to a piece of limestone sculpture and noticed it position relative to a stairwell. Although very obvious and literal I saw this stairwell as a fitting route for the exit of the sitter after he had performed on the stage here in Dublin.
I shared this thought with Jonas and after reviewing my tests he agreed with me that it was the place to do this shot.
Jonas hails from Copenhagen capital city of Denmark, it was a pleasure meeting and working with him after our email banter!
He is moving to London one of the big destinations for departers of these shores. Google was his employer here and from the following I feel he is moving to the London office. So here is what he had to say..

"No one lives 5 years somewhere without getting it under your skin, and as you realize you are about to leave, you start noticing what you appreciate about the place, and the things you'll miss. I never planned on being here for 5 years, and initially arrived thinking I'd stay here for 11 months on a contract. My time here has always felt a bit temporary because of that I guess.

I'm moving to London, which is great, but I'll miss the compact nature of Dublin. Everything is around the corner here, which I really like. I'll also miss the laid back attitude, the optimism, and the friendliness of the citizens of Dublin, they certainly made my 5 years here worth it.

I've really enjoyed the musical and cultural scene in Dublin, I've never been to so many, and such diverse concerts in my life, and seen artists that would never come through Copenhagen, so that has been a treat.

I'm happy to call Dublin a place I know, and can feel comfortable in.

I'll be working in technical operations in sales, sort of a minor geek role you could call it.

I've always enjoyed coming to IMMA, I think it's a great exhibition space in the city, and not least for the garden outside. Few museums has great outdoor areas where you can sit before you take in the art inside, or where you can have a sit afterwards, and digest the impressions, while looking at symmetry of the place. The place has a certain tranquilizing effect on me".

As mentioned above Artur Sikora iluminated proceedings and Kim Haughton caught it all on camera!!

Once more I say Big thanks to all (especially all who have read till the end)