The word or concept of ‘Change’ can be articulated in
many ways. The act of change can be highly pronounced or indistinct, visible or
invisible. Our world and ourselves, are in a continuous state and process of
change – every year, every day and every second we, and the world that
surrounds us, moves, transforms, evolves, regenerates and inevitably decays –
the cycle continues.
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| Diana Zamjatkina explores the loss of nature created by the destruction of a public park in Carlow. |
Change can have both positive and negative
connotations. It is something that we encourage, that we hope for, fight for,
work towards, but change can also carry the burden of loss. Change is physical.
Our environment, our topography, our architecture is in a constant process of
change. One of the most common themes in photography is the ever changing landscape - throughout the history of
photography practitioners have drawn our attention to both minute and vast
changes to the geographical structures of our world.
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| Dean McLoughlin c. |
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| Olga Kuzmenkos work represents the current political change and social climate in Ukraine |
Change is political. We protest for change when we see social injustice, or economic imbalances or we demand a transition of government. Consider throughout the history of photography those ‘concerned’ photographers who used the camera for social change. Change is a personal and often private sensation. When we contemplate the changes in our own lives, or the world that we know, we can sometimes feel mournful and melancholic. The sense of change can evoke an emotive memory of who we are, of the world that we know. Hence, the theme can be related to issues of identity, home and the family. In our personal lives we try hard to change and try even harder not to change. Change is adjustment - to new situations, new experiences, new places. The question is, how do we respond to the changes we experience in a visual way. Presented here is a selection of first year work relating to these issues.
