David Matthew Lyons

Born at Bushmills on the north coast of Ireland. Lifetime of full time professional involvement in fine art / editorial / location photography, publishing, cultural interpretation, audio-visual multimedia and whiskey.
Main inspiration from the ancient world, the modern world, the land, people and whiskey. From Shanghai to New Orleans, Finland to Nigeria. Mostly as a wide-eyed hobo.

Recipient of the Northern Gas / Northern Arts Photography Fellowship - at the time the richest fine art photography award in Europe.

Recipient of 2 Gulbenkian Foundation Awards - one for fine art printmaking, one for audio-visual installation of Ancient Scotland.

In my personal work I am not a purist photographer but photography has long been my tool of choice because of its fundamental and inescapable grounding in reality which I see as the generator of all imagination. The beauty of the finely crafted classical monochrome print is undeniable but many years ago I tired of the puritanism which I felt deadened the delight of discovery. The Zen of it all might leave the photographer enhanced but to the viewer such images too often seem to decrease and recede into the perfection of technique rather than into the expansion of vision. A rose i...

For the most part, I think it is a good idea. But it is hard to beat the real world.

Studied archaeology, geology, classical studies - University of Wales, Cardiff.

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Creative Photography from the then shared course at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham / Derby College of Art.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

"Beyond the Fields We Know" Side Gallery, Newcastle, England etc 2 year touring

"Through the Looking Glass" retrospective print exhibition in the Villa Freya Stark, Asolo, Italy

"Here Comes The Flood" with Nick Ketteringham. Audiovisual interpretation of the Peter Gabriel song in the context of the Iraq War. Gala night screening in the Teatro Duse, Asolo as part of the international Fantadia Festival, Italy.

Rutgers University, USA audiovisual installation for "Wordsworth and the Age of Romanticism"

"The Valley of Ghosts" long term multimedia installation at Kilmartin House, Argyll, Scotland

"The Ship of Dreams" long term multimedia installation at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, England

20+ illustrated books as solo photographer for mainly UK, German, US publishers

Work in the permanent collections of
Arts Council of Great Britain
Scottish Arts Council
Danish Arts Council

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