water towers of ireland by jamie young

‘water towers of ireland’ is an ongoing research project initiated by photographer jamie young. the project began with an urge to draw people closer to these objects which seem to permanently sit on the horizon, and it quickly grew into an obsession. part inventory, part photographic essay and part history, the work now includes maps, anecdotes, drawings, polaroids, large prints and a series of exhibitions.

exploring water towers through photography, the images of bernd and hill becher quickly come to mind. the bechers’ studies of industrial typologies were strictly documentary in nature and were often exhibited by type, laid out in grids. each piece of industrial architecture was photographed in black and white, in flat light and in isolation of its surroundings. this approach meant that similar forms of structure could be easily compared, while also leaving them devoid of their individual character. stepping away from the hard documentary style of the bechers’ series, young’s images look to give an emotive value to these objects, these erratics of our everyday landscape. his photographs convey their personalities and act as portraits, while accounting for a lack of uniformity in scale, surroundings and weather conditions.

callan #01, 2010 

castlemoyle, 2010

garranejames, 2012

kildalton, 2010

ringville 2012

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.