CULTURE NIGHT 2020 - ‘LANDSCAPE IN LOCKDOWN’
Fine-art Photographer Markus Voetter returns to Culture Night after his debut in 2017 with his new project: ‘Landscape in Lockdown’. Being confined in our immediate surroundings during lockdown allowed us all to slow down and take a look around. In his exhibition Markus captures stunning tranquil scenery and how the space and distance we all experienced during lockdown gave us a different perspective of what surrounds us.
Join Markus in the virtual photography gallery, displaying images from the Burren National Park to scenes of the everyday-life during lockdown in Kinvara.
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Enjoy the Exhibition!
Landscape in Lockdown
Culture Night 2020
Instruction to enter virtual tour
Click on ‘Enter Exhibition’
Read ‘How to?’ Instructions
Click menu icon in the corner and select ‘Enter Full Screen’
Navigate to the beginning of the Exhibition on the left, click on the text and wait for audio to start
Castle Blues
When I came home that day I looked through the sequence of images and I came across this shot. I can't remember taking the image intentionally but I feel that it works quite well with the overall theme of this exhibition.
The sailing board is laying peacefully in the bay, with nowhere to go and the castle is a silent witness to it all.
The Letter Palace
The image shows a deserted house in Kinvara. It caught my eye, as it reflects this strange mood I was in walking through my empty town during lockdown.
The image is called 'The Letter Palace' for all the mail that was delivered and is piling up behind the glass door.
Life after Lockdown
The image shows a scene of the new life we are finding ourselves in now, the time after the lockdown.
The girl is having her First Holy Communion, her mother is wearing a face mask. She is helping the child to fix her veil before she has her photograph taken.
The girl looks so proud in her white dress, ready to be photographed, because it is such an exciting and important day for her. There is happiness and joy in her eyes. I'm sure her mum is happy that her daughter is able to have holy communion on that day but she probably would have envisioned this day to be very different, with friends, with all the family, with a big party and a church full of people.
The picture represents a new life with caution but also hope. The hope that we will return to some sort of normality and that we will overcome the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the last picture of this exhibition. I would like to thank you for your attention and for your interest in my work. I really appreciate it.
I wish you all the best for your future after the lockdown, to stay positive, to stay safe.
Thank You!
Tully's Bar
Tully's Bar in Kinvara, all dressed up for St Patricks Day and a series of G2020 events that were supposed to happen throughout the year.
Boulevin
Greens - In God we trust
The image shows the front window of Green's Pub, decorated with toys to bring joy to the kids of Kinvara.
Lily Johnston called upon the people of Kinvara with an initiative called 'Going on a Bear Hunt' to bring some excitement to the children's life during lockdown.
Business and private houses decorated their windows with Teddies that the children had to count on their daily 2km walk through Kinvara. The teddies were supposed to stay in the windows for 12 hours. Some of them like in Greens Pub you can still see today.
Flaggy Shore Beach
Sunrise at the Flaggy Shore Beach. I found some interesting patterns in the sand, the white lines in the foreground leading the viewer into scene.
Choosing a low viewpoint enhanced the vastness of the scene, the backlit pebbles in the background are a symbolism for the distance we must keep.
Closed
Siar, coffee and arts shop, closed during the lockdown.
The front window is decorated with a soft toy for the challenge 'Going on a Bear Hunt' initialised by Lily Johnston.
I took a lot of pictures while counting teddy bears with my daughter that day, this particular one I really like because of its colour pallet. The blue and green tones in the foreground with the contrasts of the warm wooden chairs create the heart of the image.
Star-trail over Martello Tower
It took over 30 long exposure shots to create the star-trail above Martello Tower in Finavarra. The tower was lit coincidentally by a passing car.
Green Dunguaire Castle
Every year in March, Dunguaire Castle is being lit in green for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations. With the lockdown coming upon us, it must have been forgotten to switch the gels back to its neutral colour.
Passing the castle at night for the past 6 months was a constant reminder that something is not quite right, that life is changing, and that time seems to be standing still.
Self-Isolation
My tent pitched on top of Bouleevin Hill in the first sunlight of the day. I spent magical hours up there, seeing sunrises, sunsets and stars moving across the night sky.
Traught Beach
I fell in love with Traught Beach. Not during the lockdown, before already, when I joined the '92 Days of Winter' swimming group.
I went on the bike most mornings not to get stopped at the COVID-19 checkpoint. Having the beach all to myself was a privilege.
Not all days were sunning, there is something about Traught when the morning fog is so low above the water.
Filling Station
The N67 is probably one of the busiest routes along the Wild Atlantic Way with 1000’s of tourists passing through each year.
Seeing the empty filling station reminded me of those abandoned constructions you would find along Americas highways like the Route 66.
Because of the resemblance of this scene I call the N67 - Route67.
Tree at Wall
I'm always on the lookout for a photogenic tree. With the 2 km restriction, I was forced to have a closer look at what's around me.
I must have passed this tree hundreds of times in the past 6 years, but I never gave it its deserved attention.
Galway 2020
Galway is the European Capital of Culture in 2020.
Kinvara, as so many other places across the country, got dressed up for a series of G2020 events that were supposed to take place this year.
We only got do the launch event on International Women's Day. After that with the lockdown in place for several month, the other events never materialised.
Dolphin at Delamain Lodge
Four dolphin made their way into Kinvara Bay and swam outside the pier, as seen in this image, in front of Delamain Lodge. It was a very unusual view that created excitement during the lockdown.
Old Mill in Ruins
I looked at this lovely round tower for years and never attempted to photograph it. It's quite remote and surrounded by fields.
But as the walks in the 2km circle continued, on one lovely evening it all came together, the tower in the right light, the grass in the foreground and the leading lines guiding the viewer towards the tower.
Kinvara Main Street
In April, I cycled most days to Traught Beach for a morning swim. This brought some routine into my day, provided me with the necessary exercise and the cold ocean water took care of my mental health.
Every morning I was presented with the same picture, no people and no cars. It felt like a ghost town, abandoned a long time ago. Now and then I would cycle past Donal Sugrue reading his morning paper at the steps of the Beauty Salon.
On my way back, the COVID-19 checkpoint would be in full operation, checking where people are coming from and going too. But being on the bike, you would never get stopped.
Voluntary Frontline Worker
This is a portrait of my friend Ivana Reale, the seamstress of Kinvara, wearing one of her masks.
Ivana contributed hugely to the well-being of the people of Kinvara by making and giving away 500 reusable masks. Another batch of masks was sold to raise money for three local organisations.
Be Yourself
If the pandemic and lockdown fought me one thing, then it must be the slowing down, stepping out of the hamster wheel for a while, to come to yourself and be.
I had not anticipated this shot, I noticed Donal crossing the street, composed and pressed the trigger. Only afterwards I noticed the sign above the boutique reading 'Be Yourself'
Lonely Lough Bunny
The sun goes down in the far distance. I'm sitting on the shore of Lough Bunny and watch the wild creating little ripples and waves. I've been here many times before, and always on my own.
Being here during the lockdown feels no different to the many times I came here before. It creates a feeling of comfort and peace, like nothing happened, no virus, no suffering.
Taking a Break
This site is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Ireland, now during the lockdown the scene looks deserted. A very unusual view of the cliffs laying peacefully on the west coast with no-one around.
Get some Rest beautiful Cliffs of Moher!
Agnes of Kinvara
Swan at the Pier
A swan gliding so gracefully toward the pier in Kinvara.
Me and my family went for an early walk through Kinvara. the fog was hanging really low. We spotted two swans appearing through the morning fog.
I climbed down the steps at the pier to be as close as possible to the water level as the swan swam passed me.
Ishka - Spread Love Not Germs
Hollow Hill
I remember the sight years ago when they removed half of that hill to bury the visitor centre. It was a huge construction site to reshape the landscape.
On the day I took the picture, there was no-one inside the centre - a hollow hill.
The window of the restaurant has the shape of the human eye. I imagined how a one-eyed giant, a Cyclops, is laying across the cliff top resting and opening his one eye from time to time, to see if there are any visitors returning.
The Tree of Life
I'm always on the look out for a nice tree. On that day I was trying to portrait the Kilmacduagh round tower.
On my way back to the car I spotted this beautiful tree, evenly grown and so majestically lit. It reminded me instantly of the symbol of the'Tree of Life'.
Kinvara Bay Heaven
A magical moment looking out from the Pier in Kinvara towards Dunguaire Castle. Planet Earth is revealing all of its beauty, the colours in the sky and the reflection in the water are beautifully overwhelming.
The news went through my head, they were saying the people of China were able to see a blue sky for the first time in their lives, and that there are dolphins in Venice.
It looked as if the heaven is opening and someone is looking down at us to say 'good that you stopped for once. I have finally time to recover.'
Flaggy Shore Strand
Kinvara Seaport Town
While being restricted to the 2km rule I walked around the town in the search for the best possible angle to portrait it.
I decided on the view as you would see Kinvara if you were arriving by boat. It I a composition of several shots to create this large panoramic view.
The Face of Covid
I found this abstract rock formation in the Burren on the same day when all pubs in Ireland had to close because of Covid-19.
The day after would have been St. Patricks Day which was also called off nationwide due to Covid-19. The rock formation has the similarity of a nasty looking face.
As I was looking through the viewfinder I thought to myself, if Covid had a face, I'm sure it would look like this.
Moonset over Flaggy Shore
Aprils full moon is called 'Pink Moon’. It is one of the brightest and most beautiful moons of the year due to its pink glow.
Blackhead created the perfect backdrop for the setting moon captured at Flaggy Shore.
