By Magnum Foundation

A Unique Collaboration with Student Photographers

From left to right, Paul Seawright, Donovan Wylie, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Atlantic CEO Christopher Oechsli and Country Director Mary Sutton (front), Richard Wade, and Andrew Rankin. © Paul Sharp
From left to right, Paul Seawright, Donovan Wylie, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Atlantic CEO Christopher Oechsli and Country Director Mary Sutton (front), Richard Wade, and Andrew Rankin. © Paul Sharp

University education has been a primary focus for Atlantic in Ireland, North and South. It was therefore fitting that photographers Paul Seawright, Head of School at Ulster University’s Belfast School of Art, and Donovan Wylie, a lecturer there, attended the launch of Laying Foundations for Change together with recent graduates of their program, Andrew Rankin and Richard Wade. All four, together with Ulster University professor Martin Parr, photographed for the Ireland portion of the project.

In producing Laying Foundations for Change, Atlantic’s grant provided for Magnum Foundation to design a program for students and recent photography graduates in Ireland, South Africa, the United States, and Vietnam to participate directly in the project, in collaboration and conversation with established photographers. The goal was to give young photographers an opportunity to expand their practice in a supported environment, while also helping them to expand their networks. Both Rankin and Wade ended up spending extensive time with the communities they encountered while photographing for the book.

Late night kayaking at University Arena Pool, Ireland’s first Olympic-size pool, University of Limerick. © Martin Parr
Late night kayaking at University Arena Pool, Ireland’s first Olympic-size pool, University of Limerick. © Martin Parr

Wylie and Seawright were struck by the difference the collaborative nature of the project made for their students. In the future, they plan to continue to look for ways to include students and graduates in their own work as a part of their School’s curriculum.

Over the coming weeks, we will be featuring work from young photographers around the world who participated in the making of Laying Foundations for Change.

The Aughrim Active Retirement Group, part of the Lifecourse Institute program at NUI Galway. © Paul Seawright

This post was originally published on 28 October 2015 on the Magnum Foundation blog.

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