The WIP #10: Sculpted
The Week in Photos (2-8 March 2024)
Edinburgh is a mere 45-minute train ride from Glasgow, yet sometimes feels like a different reality. If you are passing through Waverley station in the next couple of months, I highly recommend stopping by the Fruitmarket to see the new Martin Boyce show. This also feels like entering into another even more uncanny reality, where it’s impossible to tell what is part of the gallery and what is an installation. It’s meticulous and while we were there Martin came into the gallery to rearrange the vinyl leaves to see if they had been disturbed by the opening the previous night.
We had a bit of disaster on the train getting to Edinburgh where, after ending up on different carriages, I encouraged Ellie to get off the train at Croy and walk to my carriage. Unfortunately, the train left before she could get back on, meaning that she was late for the parkrun. It was nice to see The Glasgow Effect (cover design by yours truly) still in the Fruitmarket window.
Caspar, who can be seen reflected in the previous picture, asked me to take a photo of Giulia Chiarini’s Italian Cloister in St Andrew’s Cathedral, which consists of a set of mirrored monoliths. On a sunny day, it looks extraordinary though got me thinking about the difficulties of photographing mirrors.
On Sunday, I walked along the river to see the Human Chess public art of GSA sculpture student Jonny Keen. I hadn’t intended to take part but they were short of pieces and it looked fun. I was Queen’s pawn and got blocked by a black knight on D4. I particularly liked it when Jonny started encouraging pieces to rebel.
I also visited Nichol Wheatley’s Bella the Beithir, a mythological creature living on the canal near Maryhill.
Glasgow Film Festival has been great this year and I was buzzing to see Viggo Mortensen at a premiere when I was passing by.
I also saw a Q&A with Kevin Macdonald (Last King of Scotland), who was in Glasgow to talk about his new John Galliano documentary. Here is the moment when he told the story of Channing Tatum getting his "family jewels" burnt with boiling water during the filming of The Eagle.
I love seeing photography on the big screen and really enjoyed I Dream in Photos, the story of Cathal McNaughton, a photojournalist who won the Pulitzer before giving it all up. Check out my interview with the film’s director Gary Lennon.
One of the great things about having spent time looking at Simon Murphy’s Govanhill project is that I am often starstruck when I see the people he photographed. Here is Cassidy (right) who I spotted at Glasgow Print Studio shortly after being introduced to the artist Janie Nicholl.
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