Having graduated from Product Design in Carlow IT in 2005, Justin always had a huge interest in design and photography. Over the past number of years his passion has grown as has his opportunity to capture international sporting events such as the Cyclo-Class World Cup in Dublin and the Cyclo -Cross World Championships in Hoogerheide in The Netherlands.
His recent travels have also brought him to Iceland in 2023 to capture its unique landscapes, and also to Lofote Island in Norway in 2024.
Before his current exhibition, he presented Our Town an urban photography exhibition in Enniscorthy Castle in December 2023. This exhibition presented a curated selection of street photographs taken in Enniscorthy, part of a larger body of work captured over the course of 12 early Sunday mornings between June and October 2023.
“These quiet, almost empty hours offered a unique window into the town – allowing its textures, colours, and subtle transformations to emerge without distraction,” explained a member of Creative Places Enniscorthy.
His current exhibition revisits selected images from Justin’s earlier project, but he has reframed some of those images – literally and metaphorically.
All of the Our Town pieces here are presented in handmade frames, made from salvaged wood from an old trailer, treated and assembled in Justin’s own workshop, thus giving it a ‘lived in’ quality.
“There’s a kind of honesty in working with what’s available, and that feels central to this body of work,” he explained.
Alongside these are six pieces from a trip to Iceland, printed on handmade paper Justin created at home by recycling old newspapers. In this format, printed on rough, delicate paper, these photographs have taken on a new texture and a different kind of weight.
In his preparation for this exhibition, he wanted to not start something new, but to explore how pieces could be re-used and reframed. Much of the work came from what Justin already had: older images, scrap wood, recycled paper, leftover tape and cardboard.
“I’m always looking for new ways to involve different processes in photography. Not necessarily making images that people expect or want to see, but ones that I want to take—images that carry my own voice and creative curiosity. Sometimes they result in something finished, sometimes they don’t. But in the end, I need to like what I’m making. That’s the journey,” he said.
The exhibition will run until Saturday, September 20.