The Cobblestone Sessions: a photographic book

I was enchanted by Ireland the first time I came in 2003: the people, the history, the landscapes, but especially, the music! Still, even after my return in Italy, I had a very general and foggy idea of what Irish music was, and how it connects so many people from all sides of the globe.

I had to come back in 2007 to fully discover this world of music. Dublin has an incredible music scene, especially for folk and live music, and the Cobblestone is a small little gem in the city. As old and charming as an Irish pub can get, it is one of Dublin’s most authentic places, with truly genuine live traditional Irish music played every night, where the music is there not for the tourists, but for the enjoyment of playing together.

 

The Idea of a photographic book

As my passion for Irish music grew, I started to come here more and more often, getting to know musicians, singers, dancers and locals. An atmosphere that I wanted to capture through my camera!

The number of photos quickly increased to the point of having a good collection: my husband Alessandro suggested that it was starting to be something meaningful, a journey through our musical and cultural discovery, something worth sharing. So… why not doing a photographic book?

From that moment I started assembling the collection of photos and bringing my camera with me every time we were there, taking even more photos of regulars and visitors, trying to capture the “craic”  everyone was having.

 

Why Black & White?

I always liked black & white photos. Most of my favorite photographers, like Henri Cartier-Bresson, shoot mainly in black & white. Shooting in B&W helps me focus on the subject, the lighting, the composition while keeping my mind focused on what I am witnessing; it is a way for the reader to add an extra level of imagination.

 In a way, it is like telling a story: the narrator has a mental picture of what he is telling to his audience, but each and every person who is reading or listening to the story thinks of something different. An imaginary world gets created every time, for any recipient of that story.

In my mind, this book will not be different: there are thousands of ways we can “experience” a place, and, in the same way, while the book will be the result of my own narrative, I would like everyone to experience it in their own way.

 

Right now

After the latest photographic shooting with Mary Beth Taylor of her dance classes, and of the usual Friday night céilí, I have almost completes my set of photographs for the book and I am now working at the final layout. There is a pretty short selection available on the website here, but let me know if you want to be in the book, or if you want to know if I am planning to publish a photograph featuring yourself.

So now it gets though: as well as preparing the layout and the printing quotes, I now need to lay down the text (with also the version in Irish…!),  and get the financing sorted from any sort of sources. Keep following the blog for more updates on that! 🙂

 

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