This scene caught my eye on a recent visit to Dun Laoghaire: The words of James Joyce in the foreground, and in the background, right of centre, the controversial new library.
Tag Archives: dublin
Poolbeg Power Station Chimney Stacks: Should They Stay or Go?
There has been some debate lately as to whether the, now closed, Poolbeg Power Station chimney stacks should be demolished.
The stacks are a landmark of Dublin city, but would resources be better spent elsewhere rather than on the structural repair and upkeep of these icons? Only a few years a go Dublin’s iconic Ballymun towers were demolished. Should all iconic buildings / architectural features be preserved? One designer suggested making a skybridge, turning the stacks into a tourist attraction similar to the London Eye or Sydney Opera House. Personally, I think they should be turned into launch towers, somewhere we can fire or catapult all the corrupt politicians into outer space – which is where many of them seem to already inhabit!
What do you think?
This photo was taken in 2010, on another icon; a Leica M6 loaded with 17yrs out of date Kodachrome.
Old Shopfronts: Tobacconist, Newsagent.
I love old shop fronts, and when I saw this one I couldn’t help but think of the photographs of Walker Evans.
Sculptures at the National Gallery of Ireland.
During the Easter break, we (wife, kids and I) made a day trip to Dublin town and visited the National Gallery of Ireland. Our kids are prolific artists and go through reams of A4 paper faster than a small office.
I have long admired the architecture of the Millennium Wing of the Gallery, and have on occasion stopped in to have a coffee, but I have not visited the gallery spaces since I was a child, (a long, long, time ago).
Some of the art collections had No Photography signs, but I didn’t see any prohibited signs in the sculpture gallery so I whipped out the mobile phone ( I forgot to bring my ‘real’ camera) and got up close and personal.
The collection contains many fine European 18th century marbles, and a large number of sculptures by Irish artists. If you are any way interested in art, the Gallery is well worth a visit.
day out in Dublin
I was in Dublin today: First I was in Fire.ie getting some large size (70cmx70cm) prints made for RHA submissions. I learned something new regarding scans: Last year i scanned a 120 negative with an older model epson 4490, and this year I recently had the same negative scanned with a top of the range drum scanner. Surprise, surprise, the epson scan was slightly sharper – even with the crappy neg holders. No more expensive drum scans for me then. I have my eyes on a Nikon Coolscan 8000/9000 or an Epson V700.
Next up was a visit to the Gallery of Photography to see the Steve McCurry, World of Colour exhibition. I was amazed just how large one can print a 35mm negative while still retaining sharpness. Some of the prints were probably up to 1.5m wide, and were still pin sharp at close viewing distances. Im assuming most of the photos were taken on slide film – probably Kodachrome. Overall, a great exhibition of world cultures by one of the best known photojournalists.
After this I made my way up to Annes Lane to the Kerlin Gallery to see Paul Seawright’s Volunteer exhibition. The Kerlin Gallery is neatly tucked away in a quiet street in the heart of Dublin, and I was only made aware of it following a publication in last weeks Irish Times weekend supplement.
Seawright’s Volunteer series is a photographic survey of post 911 North American landscapes. large format prints aproximately 125cm, loads of crisp detail and for the most part muted colours. A very interesting set of images. my only complaint is – and this applies to other photography exhibitions too – when the images are set behind glass, it makes it really hard to stand back and study the picture without being distracted by the background. Incidentally Seawright has a free book download which makes for interesting viewing and reading:
http://www.paulseawright.info/books.html
Enjoy.
Simon
Simon Bates Photography 