Redd, Paul Carroll (Signed & Numbered First Edition)

'Redd' explores how communities interact with a selection of Ireland's 3,192 inland water bodies. These waterways bear witness to the nurturing and destructive rhythms of social and environmental change.

The series was conceptualised in the summer of 2018, when persistent high temperatures and water restrictions occurred for the first time in decades. As water levels dropped, a submerged world of discarded remnants of daily life was revealed.

'Redd' mirrors the interplay between natural beauty and human impact, suggesting the vulnerability of an ecosystem under pressure. Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency underscores this urgency, reporting that the number of pristine Irish rivers fell from 500 in 1980 to 20 today.

As Ireland transitioned from a struggling economy in the 1980s to an economic powerhouse presently, globalisation reshaped the landscape and intensified environmental pressures. 

Carroll’s near-drowning as a child informs the formative, submerged perspective of the series. While fishing, a riverbank collapsed beneath him. For a few moments, he was suspended below the surface, watching his rod drift in the water above, encircled by the earth that had given way. There was a fleeting sense of stark beauty before he pushed off the riverbed to safety.

That memory, woven with later explorations of mindfulness, imbues 'Redd' with themes of impermanence and rebirth, underscoring the fragile balance between what we cherish and what we let slip away.

"I began Redd seven years ago. After several months of examining the work I realised that it was not just about capturing community interaction within waterways. It was a meditation on memory. The ephemeral series’ aesthetic stems from a near‑drowning incident. As a nine year old, for a brief moment, I became aware of beauty and destruction. As I researched further the duality of rivers became clearer. Beneath the serenity and beauty of Irish inland waterways lay the story of environmental decline. 

With 'Redd' I aim to enrich the visual narrative that surrounds environmental photography, offering a perspective that intertwines memory, community and the story of Ireland’s inland waterways." (Words by Paul Carroll)

Featuring an afterword written by Dr. Sean Dunne, Ph.D., C.C.S., Professor of Sociology, Shawnee State University (Ohio, USA)