Scottish photographer and director Olly Geary reconnects with his mother’s homeland in Limpid Blue. The project was created during a month-long trip to San José, Costa Rica and follows Olly as he navigates its streets, many of which bear no official names or numbers. Addresses found via anecdotes and directions passed down through generations. Here navigating the city becomes an act of translation, a system that endures even as the physical landscape shifts and technology advances.
Working within this framework, Olly began each day from a familiar landmark, allowing curiosity to guide his route. Gradually Olly began to form a photographic map shaped by the rhythms of the city. The photographs in this series appear interwoven with directions shared by family during his stay. Together, these elements chart both the topography of the city and Olly’s own familial history.
Olly Geary was selected as one of the winners of our 2025 Art & Photo Book Award. With support from Bookmobile, we helped Olly turn his project into a book. Click here to purchase a copy. If you want the opportunity to publish a book of your own work, you can apply for our 2026 Art & Photo Book Awards here. See more from Limpid Blue as well as our full interview with Olly below.