Ailish O'Leary Austin - BA (Hons) Photography
Ailish O’Leary Austin is a Manchester-based music photographer. They have worked with musicians, promoters, festivals such as Beyond the Music Festival, and publications such as The Mancunion. Ailish recieved Highly Commended for Best Student Photographer at the national Student Publication Association Awards this year for their work as the Mancunion's first ever Head of Music Photography.
Their Degree Show work, Remain in Light, focuses on the role of light in the live music environment and the way it shapes the relationship between audience and performer. Featured are two photos captured at gigs in Manchester: one from Sundara Karma at the O2 Ritz and one from Caroline Polachek at Albert Hall. Through the use of lightboxes, Remain in Light places the audience into a visual environment much like that of live music: the viewer is in a dark space with the art as a bright, colourful focal point. The work seeks to immerse the viewer into the performance environment and use photography to translate the ephemeral nature of live performance into a more permanent form.
