The Scarred Landscape
There are two sides to every story. The Scarred Landscape is an exhibition of photographs, documenting how the construction of a motorway has negatively impacted on the lives of over 300 landowners, their families and their livelihoods in rural Ireland.
With the preferred route established by the NRA in 2001, the new motorway will extend from the M9 at Kilcullen, just south of Dublin, and will continue on to cut through counties Kildare, Carlow and Kilkenny before terminating at the northwest approach to Waterford City.
As the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger becomes increasingly apparent, one cannot help but draw comparison between the seared landscape depicted in Castro’s photographs and the scarred Irish mindset left behind after a decade of affluence.
Once viewed as a symbol of both hope and progress, under the harsh spotlight of the recession and unanswered questions of government spending, the motorway now stands as a trophy of indulgence.
Severing generations of traditional, familial land inheritance, a Compulsory Purchase Order by the local County Council has left landowners with no choice. They were forced to hand over their land, their objections falling on deaf ears, their continuous protests deemed futile.
Gaining insight into the everyday lives of landowners affected by the motorway, the viewer is invited into the personal environment of individuals and in particular, into the heart of the Irish household, the kitchen, where Castro’s intimate photos provide the inhabitants of rural Ireland with a voice.
During the exhibition The Mill Street Studios will held Scarred Landscape. Scarred Mindscape?: a panel discussion inspired by the work of Debbie Castro will see a diverse panel of artists, arts practitioners and policy makers discuss the role of the arts in facilitating change, as Ireland continues to struggle in its transition from the old to the new. It will be kindly chaired by Sarah Tuck Director of Create Ireland.
For more info contact info@photoireland.com
