2003 Infinity Award: Publication

Deirdre O'Callaghan was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1969. Inspired to make a record of her experiences in London, her work began to appear in publications such as Q, Mojo, Arena and Spin. One of the original team at Dazed & Confused magazine, she remained on the staff for five years before concentrating on her freelance career. It was at this time she began focusing on more personal, large-scale projects including work with the residents of Arlington House, the largest men’s hostel in Europe.

Hide That Can brings together images taken over four years at Arlington House, which primarily accommodates male Irish emigrants, many afflicted by alcoholism. The book is a document of men living lives of quiet tragedy. Displaced from their home country and suffering disproportionately from mental and physical disabilities, many Irish emigrants live without families, jobs, or prospects. Accompanied by stories from these residents, the photographs in Hide That Can afford their subjects dignity in the midst of what seems to be an impossibly depressed community. O’Callaghan’s work reveals the humor and companionship the men derive from their shared experience.

O’Callaghan had her first solo show at Dublin’s Gallery of Photography in 2001 and took part in the “Stepping In, Stepping Out” exhibition at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in 2002. Her work has also appeared in The Observer, The Saturday Independent and The Guardian. Hide That Can is published by Trolley Ltd., London.