Based on the aesthetic of classic John Hinde postcards, ‘Postcards’ is a series of images that challenge the stereotypical tourist image of Ireland. By introducing people from a range of different ethnic backgrounds into Irish landscapes the images seek to question what it means to be ‘Irish’ in contemporary Ireland.
The people in the images are not tourists – they have none of the ‘props’ of tourists, cameras, bags etc. Although at first they may appear to be benign observers, they are doing more than that. They are questioning their relationship with the landscape. There is an ambiguity about their connection to the landscape, do they feel they belong, or are they ‘outsiders’ looking in? They vary in their connection to Ireland, some are born here, others have refugee status, and others are here temporarily studying or working. Whatever their connection is, they are chosen to represent the changing face of our society. The stereotype of fair skinned, freckled redheads (a minority) is replaced with contemporary minorities, religious and ethnic.