Paul Gaffney is an Irish artist who is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD in photography at the University of Ulster in Belfast. His self-published book, We Make the Path by Walking, was nominated for the Photobook Award 2013 at the 6th International Photobook Festival in Kassel, Germany and shortlisted for the European Publishers Award for Photography. The book was selected for several ‘Best Photobooks of 2013’ lists, including Photo-Eye and The British Journal of Photography. He has presented this particular project as solo exhibitions at PhotoIreland Festival 2013 (Dublin), Flowers Gallery (London) and Ffotogallery (Cardiff) and in several group shows.
“During 2012 I walked over 3,500 kilometres with the aim of creating a body of work which would explore the idea of long-distance walking as a form of meditation and personal transformation.
My intention was to create a series of quiet, meditative images, which would evoke the experience of being immersed in nature and capture the essence of the journey. The images seek to engage the viewer in this walk, and to communicate a sense of the subtle internal and psychological changes which one may undergo while negotiating the landscape”.
Text and images © Paul Gaffney
