Recently, I had the privilege of talking to Irenie How about her art, and residency with Photosynthesis. Irenie has never been a resident artist before, and is excited to experiment through this opportunity. Irenie is keen to learn more about the technical side of photography through her residency and experiment with her 1950s film camera. Like me, she wants to explore the use of lighting and the different ways it can be used.

To kick-off her residency, Irenie held an exhibition at the Art Hole called A Universal Law of Gravitation showcasing her three main types of art: painting, street photography and bookmaking. Although these are different art mediums, Irenie told me that they deeply connect on both a meaningful and physical level through different materials being used in the same piece.

*‘A Universal Law of Gravitation’ Opening Night at the Art Hole.*

An example of these connections between media is Irenie’s use of grids in her paintings. She has been using this technique for the past four years, and has found it gives pieces another layer and meaning. At first glance, I thought ‘why did she do that?: I couldn’t see the meaning of it. As Irenie explained it to me, and the more I looked at it, I saw how it enhanced the piece. She wants to continue using this concept in her personal and professional art and explore more of what it looks like with photography.

Irenie and I share a love for books, however the books I usually pick up are filled with words, whereas the books Irenie creates are full of photos. A book without words might seem strange at first, but Irenie likes the photos to fill the gaps. Without words, our minds will create the answer or thoughts itself. Irenie’s books are photos that she’s taken, sometimes to tell a loose story of a place or time and sometimes they are simply a collection of art. Irenie is passionate about books as an art medium because of the perception that they are inaccessible - she wants to change that. Digital Media seems to be increasingly more accessible, but Irenie believes this isn’t true and wants to show it through her books.

*Some of the work exhibited during ‘A Universal Law of Gravitation'.*

Mindfulness was a topic that arose often during our conversation. Irenie told me how important it is for her to create work in a state of mindfulness, while encouraging those who see her art to do the same. Many of Irenie’s street photographs are of trash or run down buildings, evoking the viewer to be mindful of the environment. She likes to take photos of the little things, as an act of mindfulness and creating a memory in the process. Through her residency, Irenie is running workshops for you to do the same process with the support of Photosynthesis.

The ‘Unruly Narratives’ Workshop is an awesome opportunity for everyone to gain practical street photography skills and experiment with bookmaking. If any of this sounds interesting to you, check out the links below to learn more about what Irenie How is up to.

The Importance of Experimentation and Mindfulness to Irenie How

Sibling Photoshoot