Brooklyn-born Bruce Gilden is a Magnum photographer with books on New York and Haiti to his credit. In 1996 he was commissioned by the Gallery of Photography to work on a long-term Irish project. He elected to haunt the racetracks.
"I looked for places where crowds gather" he commented. "In the last 10 years, out of all the European countries, Ireland is losing its old culture the fastest, and I felt I would like to document the people of Ireland before many things disappear entirely".
The result is an exhibition and a book (which includes a short story by Dermot Healy), both launched next week at the Gallery of Photography. The pictures in After the Off concentrate on the punters, usually to the exclusion of the object of their interest. Gilden set out to capture the tension on their faces and in their attitudes, making every image "a psychodrama". The exhibition is open to the public from Wednesday next, and on Thursday February 10th at noon Gilden will give a talk about his work in Cinema One of the Irish Film Centre. To book a place contact the Gallery of Photography on 01-6714654
