The Palm House: Photography by Amelia Stein
By Janis Blackschleger, January 10, 2013
The Palm House photographs by Amelia Stein were taken in the Great Palm House in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, prior to the complete restoration of this magnificent 19th century glass house.
The Great Palm House, Main Entrance, south
“The scale of the house and its light-filled interior suggests an outdoor space, but the world it evokes is ‘other’. The all enveloping warmth and humidity is still and scented. The light doubly filtered, firstly by the opaque, moisture-frosted glass, then by the green veil of leafy plants reaching for the roof, their varied shapes casting intricate and mysterious patterns.”
~ Brendan Sayers, Glasshouse Foreman, National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
~ Brendan Sayers, Glasshouse Foreman, National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
Luxuriant east walkway and bench
“It took Amelia two years to complete this photographic series – allowing time to record seasonal changes in the lives of the tropical plantings, the unique pot and tub culture and all the nuances of light through thousands of glass panes.”
Reflective beauty, bronze-leaved Ceratozamia fuscoviridis (rare)
Luminance and decay
Portraits of panes in four aspects
Fringed fans, Pritchardia pericularum
Musa X paradisiaca 'Seminifera'
Morning watering, recharging the air with moisture
Under the crown of Encephalartos natalensis
Curtain of cycad leaves, in close detail
Visit Seeing Moments: The Palm House by Brendan Sayers —
a companion piece to this gallery, with highlights of the grand restoration,
of their collaboration, and with more beautiful photographs by Amelia Stein.
National Botanic Gardens Glasshouses
The Palm House: Photography by Amelia Stein; foreword by John Banville, text by Brendan Sayers; published by The Lilliput Press Ltd., printed on Garda Pat Klassica and bound by Editoriale Bortolazzi Stei, Verona, Italy.
This fine monograph of duotone photographs taken in the great Palm House at the National Botanical Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin, beautifully illustrates the house prior to its restoration, and its unique patina acquired over a period of time that spans three centuries.
Amelia captures the relationships between the luxuriant tropical plantings and the time-worn fabric of the building, the seasonal changes in light. Further to the hardback edition of,The Palm House there is also a limited edition of 100 numbered copies, presented in a slipcase and signed by Stein, Banville and Sayers.
It is accompanied by a signed archival pigment print by Amelia Stein.
It is accompanied by a signed archival pigment print by Amelia Stein.
Photographer Amelia Stein’s work is represented in the collections of The National Gallery of Ireland, IMMA , the Arts Council of Ireland and have been on view in solo and group shows in both Public and Private venues to the present day. Elected a member of the RHA in 2004, Aosdána in 2006, the Photographer Amelia Stein’s black and white photographs pursue character and the constituent elements that create them. Absence and the passage of time is a recurring theme.
Described as a portrait photographer, her work is not confined to the figure or facial studies but the wider meaning of portraiture:
Described as a portrait photographer, her work is not confined to the figure or facial studies but the wider meaning of portraiture:
from the conventional face to the breadth of wider open landscapes; from small intimate details to the landscape on the grand scale. Though meticulously composed in the camera her practice gives equal emphasis to the subtleties of the darkroom and meticulous attention to detail in printing.
Currently she divides her time between Dublin and North Mayo. She is represented by Oliver Sears Gallery in Dublin.
Currently she divides her time between Dublin and North Mayo. She is represented by Oliver Sears Gallery in Dublin.