David Farrell

In this film noted Irish Photographer David Farrell talks about his relation to his art. He tries to analyze what draws him to a particular photo or photo idea and how the photo can evolve through both time and perception.

The major themes of absence and loss run like a common thread through the fabric of his unique view of the internecine political relationships of Northern and Southern Ireland. Despite initial misgivings as a southern irishman viewing a primarily northern ireland conflict, he was able to find his view in the publication of his book, Innocent Landscapes awarded with the  European Publishers Award for 1999/2000.
Buried in seemingly innocent landscapes are ironic reminders of the true complicity of the Southern Irish in this painful conflict. The symbolic relevance of the Moor landscapes also provide a connection to, and a preservation of, the past for the next generations. By returning to these sites and photographing them anew
he demonstrates natures way of reclaiming these sites and the scars the healing process leaves.

David discusses the deceptive impression regarding the ease of photography; making pictures and the difficulty of assembling a narrative. He also talks about the complexity of finding ones way into a Project.
He gives some insight to his new work "Né vincino né lontano A Lugo" a residency project of merely 13 days
in Lugo in the north of Italy. Here he investigates the surreal impressions of fog in landscapes that blur distance and closeness simultaneously. Finally he addresses his evolving relationship with in the medium of photography by juxtaposing traditional landscapes with a digital P&S user (himself) assuming the now classical position of framing a photo at arms-length. The metaphorical possibilities are endless in interpretation of the his continued journey in this medium we call Photography.