As Part of @photocitizens photography exhibition which is been held at @mtugalleryat46grandparade in the Grand parade, Cork. Irish students like myself are collaborating with other International undergraduate and post-graduate students from around the world showing their work, it is now open to the public till the 24th of February from the hours of 11-4pm Monday-Friday, don't miss out on some fantastic work from various Artists.

Brief Concept: So, what does it mean for you as citizens and photographers, to be exactly where you are? The international Festival Photocitizens 2022 asks you to reflect on your relationship to Place. This relationship may have significantly altered during the course of the pandemic, perhaps becoming more important in some way. Place can mean roots, cultural connection, home and family. But place can also confine, exclude, isolate and intimidate. Your image may help us to understand something of your life or the life of those around you. It might communicate something precious or perilous, remembered, imaginary, or absolute. You may choose to directly reflect on your experience of place through the pandemic, or that may be a secondary or invisible theme in your work.

Artist’s statement

 Sense of place By Wayne J Forde

Discarded items and abandonment create a sense of place for me. Items that have been thrown away, like electrical devices, general waste, toys, machinery, cars etc. create a perception of an area for me be it a landscape, a seascape, or an urban environment.

 In these images I set out to capture the essence of this particular place and to create emotion and stories behind the discarded objects. I wonder what happened to these people that they needed to leave these items here in such a hurry. Were they simply giving these items to someone else or hoping they would die away to nature?

 By investigating places like this I am confronted with human nature, environmental issues, mental health issues and the passage of time.