Atlantic Mythologies
The Atlantic Ocean derives its name ‘Sea of Atlas’ from Greek mythology, so called because it lay beyond the Atlas Mountains. The oldest mention of this name is in The Histories of Herodotus, around 450 BC.
In Ireland, the Atlantic hugs over two thousand five hundred kilometres of coastline and looms as a powerful presence that pummels and caresses the rugged shoreline of the Western seaboard.
The Atlantic coast of Ireland has long held the gaze of our ancestors as they looked outward across the vast ocean into the unknown. The watery horizon shimmers with possibility beyond the edge of the land. It is a storied place, the Atlantic.
Atlantic Mythologies featured four photographers who invite the viewer to consider the mythology of this vast ocean. Cairde invited photographers who have made bodies of work along the West of Ireland, including Bertien van Manen (Co. Cork to Co. Donegal), Amelia Stein (Co. Mayo), Ronan McCall (Inish Oirr, Co. Galway) and Jan O’Connell (Co. Kerry).
This exhibition invited the viewer to contemplate the Atlantic Ocean as a storied place, visually engaging through the lens of four photographers.
Photography Curator: Yvette Monahan
Cairde Sligo Arts Festival director: Tara McGowan
Production: Chan Kin
Printing: Ballast Sligo
The exhibition structures have been funded by County Sligo Leader Partnership and the exhibition is supported by the Rosses Point Development Association.
Festival Website: https://www.cairdefestival.com/2023/atlantic-mythologies