Mandy O'Neill Fireside Chats and Visual Thinking Workshops (9)

On Thursday in the library, all of our 1st years participated in a series of Fireside chats with Mandy O’Neill, Larkin’s Artist in Residence for the past two years, and Diane Dethier, NCAD student, past pupil of Larkin and subject of Mandy’s Zurich Portrait Prize winning photo.

We were extremely lucky to have had Mandy work with us as Photographer/Artist in Residence for the past two years documenting the everyday workings of the school, engaging with our students and representing them in a positive way. Mandy introduced a slideshow of some of her work from the past two years which we were all mesmerised by.

Through this workshop, Ms McKenzie used the Visual Thinking Strategy to look at Mandy’s images and students developed skills in ‘how to see an image’ and in ‘how to confidently question and / or respond to a conversation. Then Ms O'Higgins led a Fireside Chat with Mandy and Diane and also facilitated a conversation with students, around ideas about self image, image consciousness and the use of photograph in the context of social media.

This workshop fitted in with the College’s Transition Programme for incoming 1st years allowing students to explore their sense of identity in their new school. It offered the students an opportunity to be together and listen to each other and appreciate and celebrate connecting interculturally, as they begin their journey in secondary school.

All of the 1st years were invited to visit Mandy’s exhibition in The Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar which is opening on Thursday 12th September.