Shane Lynam is an Irish artist and photographer based in Dublin. His first book, Fifty High Seasons, was published in September 2018. Shane splits his time between long term art projects and working with media and commercial clients. He is represented by Galerie Bertrand Grimont in Paris. By immersing himself in built environments over a prolonged period and using a very particular visual vocabulary, his work seeks to reflect on the function and history of public space.
About ‘Fifty High Seasons’ – words by Shane Lynam:
In 1963 President de Gaulle initiated a regional development plan known as ‘Mission Racine’, to develop a wild and windy stretch of French coastline between Montpellier and Perpignan into a series of resorts. Avant-garde architects were hired to construct unique and unusual spaces which would be responsive to the local environment and focused on the individual. Although the project provided a new source of income locally, Mission Racine was not only about enriching the region. It included an 18% quota of social housing to allow more French citizens to take advantage of their time off work. It would become an alternative to the expensive Cote d’Azur without the high rise excesses of similar developments further south in Spain. Fifty High Seasons reflects on the cumulative effect of half a century of tourism on the innovative built environment established by Mission Racine, while showing why I fell for its unique charm.
