A short break to Galway, Ireland was planned with a further foray on to the Burren. The Irish weather was kind and the contrast between the city and nature was stark. The challenge with urban photography in a place full of tourists is finding those shots that get underneath the skin of human existence. I am fascinated by the marks that man leaves behind when he is done with a place – these are usually ugly, ignored scars that we see as a sign of decay. But even here there is abstract beauty, in colours, shapes and texture.
The real fascination was between the discarded modern urban landscape and that left behind on the Burren by bronze age people 4000 years ago. Bronze age man had only natural materials to work with, which have been beautifully absorbed back into the landscape and even enhance it. Contrast that with what modern man will leave behind – it’s interesting to think what our state our buildings will be in in 2000 years time.
