Snapshot of personal Meath moments

A unique exhibition of work by photographer Dominique Davoust opened in the Toradh Gallery, Ashbourne, last week. The exhibition, commissioned by Meath County Council Arts Office, is a visual investigation into the less apparent aspects of life in Meath, specifically focusing on residents in Oldcastle and Ashbourne, two towns on either side of the Boyne. Over the past nine months, photographer Davoust has explored individuals in their home or workspace and this allows the viewer a snapshot into places and personalities otherwise unknown. Personal moments have been captured that give insight into elements that make each community unique while also demonstrating the similarities particular to the wider community - that of living in Meath. Davoust has worked as a commercial photographer for 30 years and his personal work and exhibitions include Paris: 'Paris Surface" and Dublin:'The Luas Chronicle". Experimenting with colour is specific to his personal work, only at the pre-production stages and this is particularly evident in Encounter Meath where 12 portraits offer a glance into the private and personal lives of neighbours, family and friends in the two towns. As a commercial photographer working on advertising campaigns, Davoust uses his personal work as a showcase for potential commissions. Some of his portfolio work has been used for international advertising campaigns. The 'Luas Chronicle" and 'Paris Surface" exhibitions, both about urban portraits, were shot on panoramic black and white film. The images were an ode to the unique character of two very different capitals, Dublin and Paris. With 'Encounter Meath" he has narrowed his vision to a more private world, investigating the more personal aspect of people"s lives and the less apparent elements which make a community unique. The choice of the people photographed was not in itself a classification of rural vs urban; it followed a random list of individuals that Davoust encountered through local networks or just by walking through the towns. The portraits are set up inside the private world of the subject, at home or in the workshop, but always on an intimate mode, the surroundings being part of the portrait itself. Dominique Davoust was born in Sweden of French parents and lived in Lebanon until the age of 18. This diversity allowed him to develop a diverse taste for travel and he speaks French, English, Arabic and Swedish fluently. In the mid-1970s, he studied linguistics at the Paris VIII University and architecture at the Paris Beaux-Arts. The years spent in the Beaux-Arts school in Paris deeply influenced his photographic work, while travelling and living in different countries has exposed him to different cultural influences. In 1978, taking the portrait of Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto in Nigeria, marked the start of Davoust"s life as a freelance photographer. Based in war-torn Lebanon for five years, he travelled around the Middle East for international agencies. He moved to Paris where he worked for advertising campaigns for 20 years, and is now based in Dublin where he works for the Irish advertising market, travels for international brands such as Diageo and devotes a large part of his time to his personal work and exhibitions. In January 2005, he worked as a stills photographer and co-ordinator with Angelina Jolie in the Sahara Desert for her first documentary, 'A Place in Time". The 'Encounter Meath" exhibition was opened by the cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Cllr Liz McCormack, and will run until 10th March from 9.30pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday.