The Photo Essay Winners | 10th Annual MPA

1st PLACE WINNER

Hot Dust & The Myth of Being a Man by Juliet Cope

In the UK, consistently since the fifties, three quarters of suicides have been male.

As a mother of two boys I want to investigate ‘Boy Culture’. What does it mean to raise a boy? What does it mean to be a man?

That perhaps the archetypes that we feed them, the unwavering hero, the silent, strong superhero are as stifling as the princess.

This is an ongoing, evolving project that intends to collate images of boyhood that investigate what it really means to grow up a boy.
 
 

2nd PLACE WINNER

Symphony in Red by Jane Schultz

With each movement of a symphony, the listener’s senses are stimulated by the music as its story slowly unfolds. It is an emotional & very personal experience that each member of the audience can feel but cannot actually see. In this series of six pieces, art and music blend together to create a visual symphony of raw emotion. Led by the conductor’s sweeping gestures, the orchestra immediately captures our attention & keeps us entranced until the final notes of the symphony fade away into the perimeters of the concert hall.

Each image forms part of the whole story: a composition overflowing with minor tones and repetitive canons, building into a stormy crescendo that takes us through a familiar tale of star-crossed lovers. It is an unconventional symphony filled with augmented chords & ambiguous melodies that mimic the complexities of an unpredictable and turbulent year.  

The Conductor – The conductor initiates the first movement while slipping away into a dream like state that leads us into the story.

Minuet with Birds – Our heroine, with a dancing heart, wanders through the night on the clandestine encounter.

Canon – The love affair explodes with passion.

An Unconventional Movement – Following misunderstandings and indiscretions, the affair turns awry as mutual pride and rejection overtakes the lovers.

Crescendo – What was once love turns to rage and jealousy. The lovers are lost to each other

The Bow – The conductor reemerges exhausted as she takes the final bow. The lovers are redeemed, having taken all they have from each other.

  

3rd PLACE WINNER

Beach Fishing by Mal McCann

Fishermen take part in a Beach Fishing competition at Carnlough, Co Antrim, Ireland