Common Ground: New Documentary Photography from Scotland & Wales
Inspired by notions of 'home' and 'community', Common Ground brings together new work from two photographic collectives taking an outward-facing view of their respective home countries of Scotland and Wales. Working with diverse themes and ideas associated with distinctive national and cultural visual inspiration, this collective exhibition welds them together into a cohesive narrative, at times overlapping and continuously referencing and complementing each other.
Highlighting the fragility and self consciousness of youth and identity, Abbie Trayler- Smith's sensitive and empathetic 'The Big O', and Sophie Gerrard's personal and political 'Scottish Sweet Sixteen', introduce us to young people and give an insight into their thoughts and lives.
Community and landscape, also at times fragile and vulnerable, are explored in Colin McPherson's historical 'Phoenix: The fall and rise of Ravenscraig' and Gawain Barnard's poignant 'A Line Runs Through Us'.
We continue to look at communities but from an increasingly personal viewpoint in Jack Latham's childhood referencing 'Looking for Lilacs' and James O Jenkins' family ties and connections in 'Rutherglen', shot in both Scotland and Wales.
Themes of ritual and tradition are explored through Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert's striking portraits in 'Unsullied and Untarnished', whilst Stephen McLaren shows us humour in the rituals of everyday life in his candid series 'Scotia Nova'.
Document Scotland, formed in 2012 by Colin McPherson, Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert, Sophie Gerrard and Stephen McLaren, are responding to the global audience looking at Scotland at this, one of the most important times in the country's history.
Formed in the wake of Document Scotland in 2013, the Welsh collective A Fine Beginning is made up of photographers James O Jenkins, Jack Latham, Abbie Trayler- Smith and Gawain Barnard and showcases contemporary photography being made in Wales.
Links:
Document Scotland
A Fine Beginning
Sophie Gerrard - Scottish Sweet Sixteen Interviews - PDF
Colin McPherson - Ravenscraig Interviews - PDF
Banner image: Jack Latham
Left image: Sophie Gerrard
