Leitrim has a strong reputation as a creative, innovative, and environmentally aware county. Filled with characters which all add up to make this place unique, many of these are makers and artists with stories to share. The Leitrim Design House invited local photographer and wordsmith Brian Farrell to capture this rich creative community within their landscape, with the aim of drawing out how a place inspires creativity and creativity enriches a place and the people within it.
Brian engaged with a select group of fifteen makers on a series of conversations around this theme while capturing the spirit of these creatives in both their studio and landscape settings across the County of Leitrim. Through their engagement and the interweaving of stories, reflections and images captured, these moments were skilfully drawn out by Brian Farrell’s creative process and mastery of image making and storytelling.
This story building project brought to the surface the important relationship that is ever present between the two; people and place. The exploration resulted in the publication of a photography book entitled Leitrim: A Creative Landscape by The Leitrim Design House in association with Brian Farrell and Padraig Cunningham of Pure Designs.
The exhibition and reception launch of the book took place on Culture Night on Friday 23rd September, 2022. Culture Night is Ireland's yearly celebration of its rich cultural heritage by creating a country-wide evening of free creative events, workshops and entertainment for all of the family.
The reception launch was a very positive and well attended networking event for makers and enabled a meet & greet with members of the public. The poetic Brian Farrell shared some of the conversations that came to the surface during the making of this project. Members of the public could enjoy the digital book on display before it came out in print later that Autumn. Sections of the slideshow were shared on social media over the following weeks and images of the event were published in the Leitrim Observer.
A selection of the images were printed and showcased in The Leitrim Design House for a month. This was complimented with a slide show and voice over by Brian sharing some reflections on the process of creating Leitrim: A Creative Landscape. This publication highlights the wealth of the county and acts as a reminder to embrace this unique creative community and protect the landscape they hold dear.
There has been a tremendous response to Leitrim – A Creative Landscape and our makers are very proud to be part of it. After picking up the book, visitors were commenting and becoming inquisitive on how much creativity there is going on in this region. This publication has increased awareness and raised the profile of the creative community here. It highlights that this community is a unique asset that draws visitors into the region, and that this community sits in harmony and complements the natural beauty of the county.
This special publication is available to purchase in store and on our online shop at www.leitrimdesignhouse.ie. Leitrim – A Creative Landscape would make a wonderful gift to send to those with a connection to Leitrim, or who have a love of nature & all things creative. Funding from The Design & Crafts Council of Ireland and Creative Ireland with great support from Leitrim Arts Office enabled this project to come to fruition.
