Memories of Paris

Reviewing Prints from Paris in my Studio (© Roseanne Lynch)

In March of last year I won the first Alliance Francaise Photography Award. Part of the prize was a 2 week stay at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris. I decided to be there during Paris Photo back in November, and to put the prize money towards the 3 day Lens Culture Portfolio reviews.

I have put off writing this blog as I really didn’t know what words to use – and on my return to real life it took time to digest the experience. I underestimated the power of two weeks alone with my artist self, - no domestics, no responsibilities to others, just me, artist me.

The portfolio reviews were intense, encouraging and exhausting. You had up to 5 x 20minute reviews each day, a bit like speed dating without the humour (I imagine!) I was told that my work is very Czech avant garde.

Paris Photo, at Grand Palais, was 3 days surrounded by photography. I saw so much work originating in 5”x4” film, negatives scanned and printed huge, and lots of really interesting non lens based work that challenged the bounderies of what photography is, or can be.

Having spent the previous 3 days in the company of the same group of reviewees, who all had free passes to the first day of Paris photo, I was swanning about saying hello to every second person. It was like being on Patrick Street on a Saturday, stopping for coffee breaks with fellow survivors!

I also made a small series of photos while I was in Paris using my Rolleicord, so when I got home I had the pleasure of processing 14 rolls of film, and days and days in the darkroom printing. The bliss of Paris kept alive.

Yesterday I was at a talk in the Glucksman Gallery UCC, by artist Nick Miller, and he was talking about the experience of painting. He described feeling truly alive when making his art. That is what Paris felt like. Two weeks of being fully alive. And that feeling lasts into the darkroom, and into the studio where I sit looking at the images lined up on the shelf and swim in them a while.

Photos taken at the Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air

Marino di Teana (1920-), Structure architecturale, 1973 © Roseanne Lynch

Photos taken at the Library of the Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris © Roseanne Lynch

Photos taken at the Université de Paris © Roseanne Lynch

Describing Architecture

Photo by Alice Clancy

If you are in Dublin this weekend you can see one of my photographs in Describing Architecture at the Daylight Gallery, No. 4 Capel St., Dublin 1. The exhibition is run by the Architectural Association of Ireland and is on for this weekend only as part of Open House Dublin 2011. The exhibition runs from Friday 7th - Sunday 9th October from 12pm - 6pm.

Describing Architecture

The Architectural Association of Ireland is presenting an exhibition of work describing architecture, during Open House Dublin 2010. The exhibition explore the various forms of representation used to describe buildings, in the design process, during construction or after completion.

Although most of the work in the exhibition is by architects of the AAI, I am delighted to say one of my photographs is to be included. As you know my work is all about understanding the physical space we inhabit using photography and a huge part of that is describing architecture. The photograph that I have submitted is a diptych describing the architecture of MACBA, the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona. It is a new piece, and it is the first time it will be shown. I would like to thank Antóin Doyle from the AAI for all his help getting my photograph to the gallery.

Untitled [macba #1], Lamda print on diabond,
69.6cm x22.49cm, Roseanne Lynch 2010

'Describing Architecture' will be held in the Daylight Gallery, a new temporary space at the Ormond Building, Ormond Quay, Dublin 7, across the river from the Dublin City Council Civic Offices. The opening night is 6.30pm on Wednesday 6th and it runs from 12pm - 5pm daily from Thurday 7th to Sunday 10th October.

And finally if you're in Dublin this weekend you should check out some of the great events of Open House Dublin 2010.

Architecture Republic Opening Night Video

Cian Brennan made this great video of the opening night of 'Right Place, Right Space?' at the Plastic House by Architecture Republic. It really captures the atmosphere of the event, and its lovely to have this video to remember the evening by. Thanks Cian!

Untitled from Cian Brennan on Vimeo.

Right Place, Right Space for my Photograph

I had a great weekend at ‘Right Place, Right Space?’ at the Plastic House. The exhibition was a huge success, the house was busy with visitors all weekend and it was a brilliant showcase both for the architect Maxime Laroussi and all the artists.



















David Folan's chicken's in the bathroom of the Plastic House


I had a few logistical problems hanging my photograph on the Friday as it was so high up on the upper floor. It took 4 hours and a fruitless trip to try hire a last minute platform before the great engineering minds around me came up with a solution. It took 4 sets of hand to hang it in the end so a huge thank you to everyone involved!



















John Graham and myself hanging my photograph. Photo courtesy of Gregory Dunn.


With the photograph finally in place I could enjoy the exhibition and the architecture. It was a beautiful sunny, relaxed weekend. The space is beautiful. I felt like I was inside a sculpture with light pouring in and bouncing off clean white walls. And with the exhibition in place there was something of interest in every corner. It was everything that makes me excited about art & architecture.



















John Murnaghan's hypnotising sculpture with Aoife Desmond's work in the background.


I was delighted to see my photograph hanging in the house, it looked like it could have been made in the space. I really liked how seeing the photograph in such a similar space causes the viewer to look again and engage with the architecture. I have been thinking about this for a while now and seeing the photograph in the house confirmed how successful a photograph can be in prompting people to engage with architecture. And a measure of that success is that the owner of the house liked the photo in the space so much that he bought it! I am really happy knowing that it will hang in a space that is so perfect for it.



















My photograph, Untitled [o'f16], in its new home under the skylight.


I want to thank Architecture Republic for organising the exhibition, my fellow artists, the man with the engineers mind & the owner of the house for making it such an enjoyable experience.

And finally, there was alot of press coverage over the weekend. RTÉ featured the house & exhibition on Saturday’s Six One News, so if you didn’t make it to the exhibition you can still check it out on the RTÉ player. Jump to 19:51. (The video is available to watch until Sat 4th September) And it was also featured in the Irish Times on Friday 27th August.

'Right Place, Right Space?' The Official Invitation

Click on the invitation to see it full size.

Right Place, Right Space?

The Plastic House is a beautiful renovation on a residential house in Dublin by Architecture Republic. The house recently won a Special Mention at the AAI Awards 2010, but at the awards assesment the question was raised about whether the house was really architecture or more like an art installation. The architects decided to play with this comment and reinforce the controversy by opening the house as a temporary exhibition space, raising the discussion about the boundaries between Art & Architecture.

I am really excited to say that I have been selected as one of the artists to exhibit a piece in the house. I am really looking forward to seeing the dialogue between the photo & the architecture of the space. The other artists participating include John Graham, Paul Murnaghan, Aoife Desmond, Gregory Dunn, David Folan and Sharon McCarthy and Rene Ettirgam.


The exhibition entitled 'Right Place, Right Space?' opens on Friday 27th August at 7pm in the Plastic House, 26 Spender Street North, East Wall, Dublin 3 and runs until Sunday 29th August.

For further information please see Architecture Republic on Facebook.