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In 1981, when I was just two, my family moved from Ireland to Baghdad for the following five years. My father was the photographer of our family and it’s his curated albums that I have been re-visiting, trying to understand and recollect our time there. A civil engineer and a tourist, the images switch easily between architectural, family album and holiday snaps. He was employed by a German company to work on the construction of a new modernist area, Haifa Street, designed by renowned architect Rifat Chadirji, under the direction of President Saddam Hussein.
For me, there are no real memories, just a sense of experience from what the family album evokes and the documents and ephemera my father has kept. Through my ongoing conversations with my parents and sister, I hear of the disconnect as ‘ex-pats’ from the local community, the fearlessness of my mother driving around Baghdad with her two young daughters in what was technically wartime, and I continuously question my memories of what felt like a long holiday.
For those that are not familiar with the project, TLP Editions is an ongoing collection, produced and designed by PhotoIreland, that presents work by contemporary artists in the form of uncomplicated publications. These are available through The Library Project in-store and online. All and any funds generated by the project go to producing more copies of the publications, ensuring we can keep promoting the artists and practices represented. These editions are regularly showcased and donated to international events and festivals, such as the Icelandic Photography Festival recently. In addition, TLP Editions also grace some important shelves and collections, including that of the Hasselblad Foundation Library and the Martin Parr Foundation.
You can find a list of all the TLP Editions here.
PhotoIreland is kindly supported by the Arts Council of Ireland to develop support projects such as the TLP Editions.
Published by PhotoIreland
Edition of 200
Softcover
32 pages
148 x 210 mm
