Loving it!

As part of Ireland’s new cultural expansion, Irish artists have collaborated with global technology company Huawei aiming to inspire and excite creative talent across the country. Award-winning photographer, Cormac McMullan from Dublin, is championing the project with Huawei, alongside electro-indie-house-pop duo, Le Boom, and street art collective, Subset. Innovative new videos launched as part of the collaboration, that showcass the individual talent of each of the three artists allowing them to share their unique stories and discuss their experience of the new creative landscape in Ireland. Third generation photographer Cormac McMullan speaks of the therapeutic and meditative function that creativity brings and its importance for him.

“I create because it helps with my mental health. When I look through the viewfinder, I find my life outside the frame disappears and my focus lies wholly within. I suppose it boils down to one thing – simply that if I’m not being outwardly creative, I can tend to be inwardly destructive.”

Cormac goes on to discuss the new wave of creativity in Ireland and how it has been heightened by the rise of technology, particularly social media. His advice for burgeoning creators is to embrace the online world, “Nowadays there is so much online, so many tutorials, so many ways of learning." "Connect with people online, meet them in the real world. People enjoy meeting up and passing on their skills – If you have a passion for something follow it – it’ll keep you going in life. Just get out there and do it.” The videos follow a recent study commissioned by Huawei and authored independently by the Institute of Arts and Ideas and Kjaer Global. They revealed that Ireland is experiencing a cultural renaissance due to the dynamic creative economy and the growing employment opportunities in creative industries, highlighting 79,048 jobs within arts, culture and entertainment in Dublin alone. The report also discusses future job titles which will be created as a result of the New Renaissance in Ireland. One of the positions was that of a Creativity Therapist - a therapist who helps people overcome stress and other mental health problems through creative activity – something that Cormac is very passionate about. Commenting on the video series, Zena Ross, Huawei Ireland Marketing Manager said:

“These pioneering individuals are the basis of the collaboration between Huawei and Ireland’s burgeoning creative class. Huawei supports creators in society who are leading Ireland’s New Renaissance in creativity; using smartphones and other technology to push the boundaries of creativity and shape popular culture."

"It is great that we could reunite with Cormac for this video and give him the platform to showcase his incredible talent for photography and light painting. Cormac is just one of the New Creators in Ireland who Huawei are working with and we can’t wait to see how their creativity will help inspire others.” Also involved in the project are Dublin based music duo Le Boom who were formed in 2016 by Christy Leech (vocals and keys) and Aimie Mallon (drums). Le Boom, who are at the forefront of the New Renaissance in Ireland, draw from their own experiences to provide this advice for Irish people looking to start creating; “Don’t worry about what other people think, just do it for yourself and become obsessed with it. Obsession is how you succeed when it comes to art.” Drawing from their own experiences, Le Boom’s advice for Irish people looking to start creating is, “Don’t worry about what other people think, just do it for yourself and become obsessed with it. Just work on whatever your creative talent is every day.” The third video in the series features Subset; a collection of Irish street artists who gained notoriety for their striking and politically charged art which now adorns the walls around the streets of Dublin. The art created by Subset in the video was inspired by the artists’ use of the Huawei P20 Pro, which the artist feel gives a “heightened level of creativity to the user”. The video was shot on the Huawei P20 Pro using its video camera to bring clarity to the artistic shapes and patterns which make up the contemporary, abstract and anamorphic artwork.