‘On photographing community resistance’ - an interview.
In this month’s Greater Govanhill magazine, available in Glasgow Southside and online, I’ve been interviewed about photography from my archive of community protest and resistance. Over the years I’ve photographed Govanhill’s Save Our Pool campaign, the spontaneous protests at Kenmure Street in 2021, and the N0 M77 CarHenge environmental protests in 1994/95. All these series have recently been published by myself as zines.
‘Govanhill Baths, Ours!’ exhibition.
I’m delighted to have eight images from my ‘Govanhill, Save Our Pool’ series, being exhibited over the summer in the ‘Govanhill Baths, Ours!’ exhibition, at the Tramway Theatre, Glasgow. Until 27th September 2026.
The Japanese Tattoo: Fights and Fires are the Flowers of Edo, by Manami Okazaki.
I’m delighted to have these two images in a new book just released, ‘The Japanese Tattoo: Fights and Fires are the Flowers of Edo’, authored by journalist par excellence and friend in Japan, Manami Okazaki (you wanna know Japanese subcultures, drop her a note!), and published by Prestel Publishing.
Button Up!, with Ai Weiwei.
One of the more memorable books I’ve read in recent years was 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, a memoir by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei that takes us though his humble beginnings in China, and on to his ascendancy in the art world, his detention and subsequent activism. This morning I had the opportunity to photograph with Ai Weiwei at his monumental new show, Button Up!, in Manchester.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf
How far is a bridge too far (to paraphrase and quote an ol’ movie title)? In this case not too far, a quick plane journey, this bridge was situated on the River Seine in Paris. Last week saw me over there for a few days - a few days away from photographing my usual Glasgow, and a change of scenery. My assignment was to photograph La Caverne du Pont Neuf art installation by French artist JR, and which takes over as an installation the oldest bridge on the Seine, the Pont Neuf.
Collection of National Significance.
Great to read this morning that the University of St Andrews Photography Collection, which in 2021 acquired the complete archive of my photographic career, has been formally recognised as being a Collection of National Significance by Museums and Galleries Scotland.
Paddy’s Market
“The type of place you go to buy one shoe lace”, was how Paddy’s Market was once described to me. But your opportunity to buy that shoe lace, or the second of the pair, is now gone, the famous and historic Paddy’s Market was finally closed down on this day in May 2009 by Glasgow City Council.
Trainspotting - 30 years on.
“I thought Trainspotting would be a cult book, but not generation-defining’, said Scottish author Irvine Welsh about his generation-defining novel of thirty-three years ago. I wonder then how he’d feel knowing the movie (of the book), released thirty years ago today, is still discussed, still highly regarded as a cultural touchstone of that period…
Wassailing the apple trees
It’s always great to get out and photograph in your own community, even more so when it’s an event you’ve known about for a couple of years but never quite managed to make it along to. But today, I went along to listen to the singing and view the dancing at the ‘Wassailing of the apple trees’, in the orchards of Queen’s Park, in Glasgow Southside.
Kenmure Street, 2021
Protest! Protest! Protest! - Following on from my announcement of two days ago that I’m doing new zines ‘Save Our Pool, 2001’ and ‘No M77 Carhenge, 1994/95’, I’ve decided to add a further publication making a trilogy of zines of seminal protests from Glasgow Southside. This third zine will be ‘Kenmure Street, 2021’. All three zines will be on sale soon, please sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear when they are released.
Clydebuilt, from Glasgow to the stars
Clydebuilt - a term synonymous with precision engineering from the Glasgow shipyards, but perhaps now can be used to refer to the growing number of 'cubesat' satellites being built by AAC Clyde Space in Finnieston, Glasgow, and heading to space...
New zines! - Protest in Glasgow Southside
My next two zines are in production! Both will feature historic community protests from the Southside of Glasgow. ‘Save Our Pool, 2001’ and ‘No M77 Carhenge, 1994/95’ will be available soon!
Archival Studies
Inspired by my own career’s archive of photography being acquired by the photography collection of the University of St Andrews, I decided to further my knowledge of archives and undertake some professional studies, this week graduating from the University of Dundee with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Archives and Records Management, and somehow I even squeezed in a ‘With Distinction’.
The Gerry McCann Archive
I’m delighted to be able to write that the photographic archive of Scottish photojournalist Gerry McCann has been acquired by the University of Edinburgh for their growing photographic collection.
It gives me pleasure and pride to have had a role in making sure Gerry’s valuable archive of photography was acquired and that future generations of students will be able to research and utilise his photographic work via the University collections.
Roma of Sintesti
I read today that philanthropist George Soros, founder of the Open Society Foundations, has received the European Civil Rights Prize of the Sinti and Roma, and this made me think back to the inclusion of my photography from my ‘Roma of Sintesti’ project in the first ‘Moving Walls’ exhibition at the Open Society Foundation in New York, in 1998-99. The exhibitions seems a long time ago now!