(Out there in the perimeter) Loud Quiet Loud

The research, undertaken as the introductory text to the work of Photographer and Irish Artist Rich Gilligan's monograph The First Draft, examines the cultural shifts that emerged as a consequence of the establishing of satellite towns and suburban spaces adjacent to the M50 circular motorway that surrounds Dublin. Since the 1960's. communities of working class and lower middle class families have relocated to the periphery of the city with, as a consequence, a generation of youth initiating cultural practices remote to the more central Dublin City that had been common amongst their predecessors. Taking Rich Gilligan's adolescence and professional career as a conduit, Grant's essay affirms the qualities that young people on the edge of the major city drew upon -their preoccupations, cultural practices and influences. The essay explores Gilligan's innovative early work and follows its maturing through themes of migration and eventual return. The essay was commissioned by leading Irish curator Linda Shevlin and the book was published to coincide with Gilligan's exhibition at Draoicht, Dublin, and a book launch, hosted by Photo Museum Ireland. Since the early 1990's, Ken grant has taught photographers in Ireland and wider Europe. Many have progressed to sit at the heart of a new wave of contemporary practice. This essay, serving as the foreword for Rich Gilligan's first retrospective, examines the photographer's early practices and the influence of music, street culture and a suburban adolescence lived on the outskirts of Dublin. The book was published to accompany an exhibition to be held at Draoicht, Blanchardstown, in February 2025.