NEOSCOPE - An Exhibition in Time and Space

NEOSCOPE was my first solo exhibition and launch of my latest photobook, a synthesis of many of my life’s passions - photography, astronomy, Scottish History, and poetry. It took place in Saltspace Gallery, Glasgow, in Septmber 2023, and I am keen to bring it to other galleries and events in future.

Below is a brief description, but in the near future an online version of the exhibition will be viewable here too. The book, containing all twenty composite images and poetry, can be purchased here.

For this project I have placed my analogue photography of Scotland’s standing stones into dialogue with NASA and ESA’s space telescope imagery, creating a conversation across 5000 years, and a collaboration between the astronomers of our past and our present. Just as these neolithic monuments were huge community efforts, so too are the images seen here, the result of massive community collaboration across countless institutions, by over 20,000 astronomers, engineers, physicists and other experts.

Viewed from a post-human world, with nothing but the stars above us and the monuments we built to understand them, and where our 21st century technology is as mysterious and open to interpretation as the stone circles of our neolithic ancestors,  a timeline of grief, purpose, curiosity, and collaboration emerge through the Neoscope.

This timeline circles around the gallery space, beginning at the Big Bang 13.8 Billion years ago. It maps out the formation of the cosmos, human settlement and monument in Scotland, the development of satellite technology, and all the creative and technological influences which have informed my own creative practice, leading right up to the creation of Neoscope itself. On making this journey through time, it is impossible to avoid the looming climate crisis, the past, present, and future of which is also represented within the narrative of the exhibition.

In dialogue with these mixed-media visuals is my writing and poetry, created at the Alasdair Gray Archive in response to works by both Alasdair Gray and poet Dr Maria Sledmere. This poetry describes the mysterious remnants of humanity, gazing out at the cosmos, monuments to our genius, our curiosity, and our love of the stars.

The Neoscope - mixed media painting based on my book cover illustration, featuring the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope overplayed with a hexadic stone circle.

The Alasdair Gray Archive

This month I was invited to The Alasdair Gray Archive by its wonderful custodian, Sorcha Dallas. The purpose of the archive is to promote and educate on the life and work of this celebrated cultural polymath, who was and continues to be a huge influence on my life and my art, so visiting and photographing the archive was very special to me. It’s free to visit via appointment, and its contents paint a vibrant and very intimate portrait of the artist. I feel we are incredibly fortunate to have such a rich and accessible collection of Gray’s life and work all under one roof, which is thanks both to Alasdair himself for making his intentions clear prior to his passing in 2019, and to the excellent work of Sorcha and everyone else involved. As you browse through the collected artworks, correspondence, books and pictures, you feel a very strong connection to Alasdair, his inspirations, and his output; just as he would have wanted.

A wall of books greets you upon arrival at the Archive; Alasdair’s own stock of his publications, multiple copies of everything he wrote or collaborated on, with translations destined for countries all over the globe. Drawings, paintings, designs, and photographs watch as you proceed past this library further into the archive, where Alasdair’s writing and drawing desk has been preserved along with his bookshelf, as they were at his home. Surrounding his workspace from floor to ceiling are books of prose, poetry, art, history, politics, and philosophy. Just as these books were a source of reference or inspiration to Alasdair, so too are they filled with Alasdair’s own thoughts, the covers and margins scribbled with notes, comments, arguments and sketches. Peppered throughout the shelves are some of Alasdair’s personal belongings - family photos, correspondence, trinkets; fruit tins filled with stationery, seashells from a walk on the beach.

Sorcha

Surveying this big slice of Alasdair’s life, I instantly gravitated to the huge ledger book open on the desk - discarded from some old Glasgow business in the 50s, and picked up off the street by the young artist, for whom it became a scrapbook for his projects. Within its inky pages, between the lines of names and numbers, are a stream of ideas, sketches, designs, and to my delight a number of Alasdair’s own photographs. Photography was naturally a part of planning his drawings and paintings, but these prints still caught me off guard; firstly, because I’d never seen Alasdair with a camera in his hands and hadn’t considered this could be another string in his bow. Secondly, the first photos mounted in the ledger are pictures of my current house in the west end! Other shots feature buildings I have often photographed myself.

Alasdair Gray’s Photo of the New City Road Savings Bank, alongside my own photo of the same building taken as part of my Glasgow’s Winter photobook.

Alasdair’s photos show Glasgow streets, some faintly recognisable, some long since buried under the scar of the M8 motorway. In them we see Glaswegians interacting with the city infrastructure, walking from place to place, crossing bridges, entering and exiting buildings. It’s clear these photographs were not only a visual reference for composition, but they informed Gray’s concept of the city as a great, living, civic organism. More albums of reference photos sit next to the desk, and I hope to have another look through them upon a future visit.

Pt 1

Gray photographed the bascule bridge over the canal, including this shot of young man approaching it.

Pt 1

A number of sketches of the bascule bridge follow the photos in the ledger.

Pt 3

On a later page of the ledger, this colour painting of the bascule bridge is featured.

The bascule bridge from Gray’s ledger, as seen rom the window of the Archive.

A work in progress - from photos of the bascule bridge of the canal, to sketches. and eventually to painting. The bridge can be seen from the window of the Archive.

Opposite his desk is the set of drawers which used to sit looking out of his window. Piled high with countless paintbrushes and pencils, each drawer is filled with a lifetime of drawings and designs. Images now famous around the world from public murals to the covers of books, present here in every stage of progress, from pencil sketches to finished inked designs. I suspect it would take days to go through and take in every artefact here - I warned Sorcha she may never be rid of me!

I feel I barely scratched the surface of the Archive during my visit. I keep coming back to the thought of how fortunate Glasgow is to have such a significant collection in one carefully curated place, and would like to once again thank Sorcha for showing me around, and knowing all the answers to my long list of questions about Alasdair and his work. For anyone with an interest in the works of Alasdair Gray, I really can’t recommend a visit to the Archive enough.

Alasdair’s seat, Alasdair says - My portrait of Sorcha seated in Alasdair's big green chair.

Epilogue:

Coming back from the bar in Oran Mor, I found my partner sitting and chatting with a familiar looking woman introduced to me as Morag. We were soon joined by her husband, Alasdair Gray, and before long, my student loan had melted into whisky and wine as the four of us set the world to rights. Every so often another patron would approach our table and ask Alasdair to sign their books - surprisingly, he was without a pen, and so borrowed mine (now one of my most treasured possessions). He tried to apologise, to which I joked about his adoring fans. “I don’t WANT any adoring fans!” Alasdair boomed in his creaky melodramatic voice, but the warmth and generosity with which he met each interaction suggested otherwise.

I look back on this particular evening (as much as I can remember of it) with incredible fondness. Both Morag and Alasdair were wonderful people, and it is a rare treat to be able to share an evening discussing books, films, and Scotland with a true renaissance weegie such as Alasdair Gray. (He was either oblivious to the fact I had met him at a dozen book signings prior, or gracious enough not to acknowledge that I was one of his adoring fans.)

I think Gray appeared a couple of times between Edwin Morgan and Robert Burns during my Higher English coursework, but it wasn’t until I enrolled in Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow that I truly began to appreciate his work. I was half-way through a Chemistry degree - God only knows why this perplexed science student was admitted to a literature course. But there I was studying under the very supportive (and patient) Rodge Glass, who when not chasing me for overdue essays was actually Alasdair Gray’s secretary. Reading more of Gray’s work during this course swept me up and helped me see this city and the rest of the world in ways I never had before. After having my mind blown for two semesters and realising I had absolutely no idea about anything, I had to return to perceived reality and complete my Chemistry degree. Two aborted careers later, I found myself embracing photography full time, and finally accepting my fate as an artist. I spent a number of years very reluctant to work under that title, but I now realise that the voice trying to convince me I was an artist all those years, was Gray’s.

Since Gray’s passing, his absence feels very tangible. Sometimes I regret not asking him if I could shoot his portrait after I began photography. I know he would have warmly obliged, but I also know he must have had requests like that frequently. So instead, I’m just grateful I got to meet him as often as I did, and share my appreciation for all he gave me through his books. I still miss saying hello to him in the pub or bookshop, and seeing him on the subway or tottering home up Byres Road. There’s a gap in the cityscape where he used to be. But with the accessible and intimate nature of the Archive and its contents you can practically hear Alasdair’s unmistakable voice booming out from his big green chair, bridging that gap.

Morag and Alasdair.

Both Alasdairs at a book launch in Borders Books, Buchanan street.

GOODBYE

Streetlevel Open - Photography Exhibition

I am hugely excited to have my work exhibited at Streetlevel Photoworks this Summer, featuring examples of my protest photography taken over the last two years - some of which I have never shared anywhere else. I've been visiting the gallery for years, and always aspired to one day have my own work on their walls, so it’s quite a proud moment.

The diverse range of photography in this exhibition is quite astounding, with a really varied range of styles and processes on show. The turnout on opening day was amazing too, with hundreds of attendees and a real buzz in the air as people connected with the images and their creators. It was lovely to be there with old friends and make some new ones as well.

The exhibition is open until 7th August, gimme a shout if you’d want to come check it out! Please drop in and support the work of loads of incredibly talented Scottish photographers.

If you can’t make it in person, you can take a virtual tour over on the Streetlevel website.

Thank you to Streetlevel for including me and my work, and to everyone who came along to the opening reception.

Group photo of all the photographers by Tiu Makkonen

Wevolution, SPGs, and Peer Gatherings

"We all want the same things: we want to be encouraged, we want to be supported..." ~ Deborah Murdoch, SPG Member & Wevolution Trustee.

I thought for my first blog of the year, I’d look back at one of my favourite yearly events to shoot for one of my favourite clients, and the wonderful SPG movement. What is an SPG I hear you ask? I’ll explain below alongside my photos of some of them.

What is an SPG?

An SPG is a small collective of people who encourage each other, have accountability and make ideas happen – together or individually. Some people pursue a side-project, some develop new skills, and others generate income with a new service or product. It’s not a one size fits all approach, no two SPGs are alike, but all work towards the same set of goals and principles - build relationships, learn & share skills, save money, and support each other to become more confident and self-reliant. It’s a people-powered approach with a focus on peer support and building meaningful, resourceful and accountable communities where everyone can be a change-maker and an entrepreneur.

I have had the privilege to see the powerful impact of the SPG model, having been shooting for Wevolution for many years now. Seeing people come together, support each other to transform their lives, and grow their confidence and self-reliance - it’s the closest thing to magic.

What is Wevolution?

Wevolution supports SPGs to flourish, creating an eco-system of SPGs and like-minded organisations across the UK, Europe, and beyond. Wevo invests in learning and training opportunities for individuals and groups, nurtures peer-to-peer connection while ceding power to those peers, and offers microfinance solutions to help get ideas off the ground. They also facilitate the adoption of the SPG model for other organisations, helping to adapt it to the needs of communities with training, resources, and support.

“There are a lot of organisations that do some phenomenal work with people but can only help individuals on part of their journey. Offering these individuals the SPG model can be the next step for them. We can help people through a critical point in their life, take ownership of something they are working on, and become self-reliant. It is important for funders in particular to see a sustainable, scalable business model where we can help people regain their independence and build their confidence. These people can learn new skills, improve their community, and we see positive, incremental change though the adoption of SPGs.”

What is a Peer Gathering?

Every year Wevo and dozens of SPGs get together as a big family to connect, celebrate successes, and prepare to take on any challenges on the horizon. It’s a great chance for SPG members, organisational partners, trustees, and everyone else connected to the movement to meet face-to-face, make new friends, and build relationships. It’s also an opportunity to hear from inspiring people, take part in practical and informative workshops, as well as have loads of fun with like-minded people - which will be especially powerful this time round, the first in-person Peer Gathering in two years!

I have always aspired to live by the maxim made famous by Alasdair Gray - Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation. After many years supporting the SPG movement, I have never felt this aspiration more perfectly manifested than when standing in amongst the hubbub and joy of these SPG Peer Gatherings.

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SPGs in CTRL

For just over a year, I have been collaborating with a group of wonderful women on a project aiming to reclaim control of personal data.

It’s very easy to not pay much attention to the kind of personal data that is routinely collected, manipulated, and sold by the systems and corporations we interact with. But instead of this data being exploited by big data companies, why shouldn’t this data instead be owned, controlled, and used to benefit those who generate it - us!

That’s this SPG’s mission, to learn how the surveillance economy can be turned on its head, develop ideas to reclaim our data for the good of individuals and communities, and to play a part in the data-sovereignty revolution.

You can read some thoughts and reflections from the group here.

Merry Christmas from The Gorbals!

After the pandemic prevented any public Christmas celebrations in 2020, it was finally time to #LightUpTheGorbals again. I always look forward to shooting this on behalf of New Gorbals Housing Association, and it felt extra special this year.

The festivities started with The G5 Kids Choir performing their Christmas Concert. Originally, this was supposed to take place in the Piazza outside the NGHA office, but Storm Barra put a stop to this by threatening unsafe weather conditions.

Thankfully, the choir were welcomed into the warmth of Gorbals Parish Church, and after a brief rehearsal, families were invited inside to watch.

Led by Givin in Laldie, accompanying on keyboard, the kids were so excited they could hardly stand still, and you could tell how hard they’d work to learn the songs. They absolutely sang their wee hearts oot! This is the kind of event that is easily forgotten amongst the logistical chaos of negotiating the pandemic, but which makes such a difference to young people in the community.

As well as the choir, a number of young Gorbalites took the stage to accompany on guitar. Seeing the pride on their faces, and that of their families in the audience, is one of the best things about shooting events like this.

To a standing ovation, the choir left the stage, found their friends and families, and were led outside into the piazza for the next part of the festivities. Storm Barra had failed to materialise, so although some of the plans had to be shelved, it was still possible to enjoy the best bit - switching on the Christmas Lights!

Two members of the choir had been nominated to hit the big reed button, and families gathered around the tree counting down to the switch on. 3, 2, 1….

As if the countdown wasn’t loud enough, the whoops and cheers and squeals that rang out when the fairy lights came on were amazing - it might just be a few lights, and not as spectacular as a movie or a concert, but it was every bit as exciting for the kids. We’ve been a bit starved of shared experiences like this these past two years, so this was a great reminder of how important these things are; not just for kids, but for everyone in the community. Coming together, finding joy in the simple things and in the company of our neighbours, celebrating reaching the end of the year and thinking of the days ahead. And of course singing songs, taking selfies, and running round and round the tree in circles til you’re too tired to walk home.

I always look forward to these events, rounding off the year on a high with cheer and community. This year the Gorbals Christmas event actually was my final shoot of 2021, as a week later I had to self-isolate after one of my contacts tested positive. Fortunately they’re doing ok, and possibly thanks to the booster jag I received on the morning of this event, I tested negative.

Rearranging the rest of my December shoots and events was a hassle, but I made sure no one will miss out on anything as a result of my isolation, and I’d much rather be safe than sorry. Staying at home has given me a chance to properly clear the decks before I turn on my out-of-office email reply, and after a really wild few months of shoots and projects, I am well and truly ready for some time off.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas, and see you in 2022!

Glasgow’s Summer Photobook Kickstarter

The next chapter in my portrait of the city is now live! Click on the video below to hear a bit about it, then hit the wee K symbol or click here to head straight to the Kickstarter page.

After a year of hard work, my seasonal portrait of the city is almost complete! Glasgow's Summer captures the city, it's people, and all the colour and warmth that Summer brings. Shot on my 35mm half-frame camera for that fuzzy nostalgic look, it's a combination of street photography, community, sunsets, dancing, and dogs. Like the previous installments, my photographs are arranged in pairs from Sunrise to Sunset, charting the season as if it were a single day.

Glasgow’s Summer follows right from where the Spring edition left off, mirroring Winter, and leading back into Autumn. Each book stands alone, but as a whole they link together to tell the story of the city, with subtly recurring themes and ideas threaded between each book, evolving with the shifting of the seasons. Each season has its own cat too!

All of these books were made possible by the incredible support of Kickstarter. The community which has grown around this project really has been the driving force behind it. This is why I chose to publish the final installment via the platform, and also why I have included all four seasons as add-on rewards, so you can grab a box set!

Glasgow’s Summer is already at the printers, meaning that I will be able to ship copies out as soon as the campaign ends on December 5th - making the Glasgow Box Set a perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves this gallus city.

So if you haven’t already, please head along to the Kickstarter page for a look at some of the photos within the book. Thank you so much to all of you who have already backed it, and shared it with your friends - you’re legends!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alasdairwatson/glasgows-summer

Andrew O'Hagan discusses his new novel Mayflies with Craig Smillie at the Glad Cafe for Book Week Scotland

Last night I was up past my bed-time shooting and editing an evening with author Andrew O'Hagan, on behalf of Scottish Book Trust. This was part of Book Week Scotland, and I’m so pleased to see these kind of events being able to go ahead in person again - there’s something special about being in the hush of a dark room, meeting the author, and hearing their stories first hand. The Glad Cafe is one of my favourite event spaces in the city, and when I say the room is dark, I really mean it! But these are the kind of challenge conditions I love to shoot in.

Craig Smillie led the conversation, paying particular attention to O'Hagan's latest book, Mayflies; a sublime, intimate, and semi-autobiographical story that charts a weekend of youthful excess in 1980s Manchester, and its tragic aftermath thirty years later. Here’s Scottish Book Trust on O’Hagan:

“Andrew O'Hagan is one of his generation's most exciting and most serious chroniclers of contemporary Britain. Following two previous nominations, his novel The Illuminations was longlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize. He was voted one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2003. He has won the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. He lives in London.”

Earlier in the year you may have read my blog describing the events of Kenmure Street when local residents took a stand against an attempted UK Home Office dawn raid - you can see my photos from the day HERE. I mention it because after chatting to Craig, the evening’s host, I realised he’s the same Craig Smillie who wrote this fabulous folk song commemorating the act of resistance. Give it a listen and a share, Craig’s a great guy!

A selection of my photos of Craig and Andrew were sent off to the newsdesks straight after the event, so you might see them crop up in the papers later this week - for now, you can see a few of my photos below;

Cooper’s Lot Band Promo Shoot

Folk? Funk? Fusion? Honestly I’ve no idea how to describe the music of Cooper’s Lot in one sentence, but I’ve been dancing to their debut song all day today.

Read on to see some of the photos I created to help the band promote their music in the near future, or head over to my Musicians and Artists page if you’d like to arrange a shoot with me.

Earlier this month, Craig, who you can see above on the fiddle, contacted me to arrange some promo photos for he and Elias’s upcoming debut song, Road to Cahsel.

Central to the shots had to be the gorgeous incandescent bulb the boys have chosen for the cover of their single - a challenge I really was excited about. As you’ll know if you follow my work, I adore working in dark, difficult, magical lighting conditions, so for these photos I decided to use only the old-timey bulb as the single light source, then, with careful control of light and colour, bathe the band in soft, red light.

I also wanted to pair this surreal lighting with a fairly rustic but stark background. And of course this set up required a very dark place to shoot in… Luckily I knew just the spot, and I arranged access to a derelict part of the building (plus a load of extension leads).

As well as the red photos which will make up the bulk of the band’s promo material, I also made use of some grey, Glasgow, natural light to grab a few profile photos which Craig and Elias can use in other situations.

Before we packed up, I fired up my flash powered, mobile, slide projector system (which used to be so much cooler when projectors were all huge and expensive) and added a bit of cold, ghostly texture to the last few shots. Subtle cabin in the woods vibes.

If you love trad fusion music like Niteworks and Vulfpeck, Cooper’s Lot will be right up your street. Craig’s fiddle playing is infections, and the production on the track is so damn funky - get it listened to!

NHS Workers Demand Climate Action In Massive Projections Across Glasgow

After dark on 18th October, buildings in Glasgow lit up with messages from NHS workers demanding world leaders take urgent action to prevent further climate breakdown - I accompanied them to capture the following images.

Gathering my camera gear ready to meet James, one of the Doctors pictured above, I was very excited to play a part in this project organised by UK health worker organisation Medact. It was quite a last-minute arrangement, but one I was happy to be part of as Glasgow hurtles towards COP26. Joining us were a team of NHS health professionals, and projectionists from Warpro Production Services, who were responsible for mapping the team’s messages onto these Glasgow landmarks with their large format projector.

Beginning with the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, we zipped between each location, fired up the massive projector, and I got to work capturing the spectacle their projected messages created. George Square was our second stop, where passers by stopped to read, photograph, and begin tweeting the newly illuminated People Make Glasgow sign.

Lastly, we made our way to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, (known as the Southern General when I was born there!), where I photographed the projections, as well as group photos with the team of health professionals. We recorded some video too, with each Doctor explaining why they are taking part - you may see these soon on Medact’s social media channels.

Medact is a group which supports and provides a platform for health professionals of all disciplines to speak out on the causes of poor health across the globe. Health workers will be joining the Global Day of Action in response to COP26 on 6th November here in Glasgow, joining the massive march from Kelvingrove to Glasgow Green.

The full press release from Medact accompanying my images is as follows:

Ahead of the global climate talks in Glasgow in November, a message projected onto the Glasgow Royal Infirmary read “Air pollution killed 354 people in Glasgow in 2020 alone” and “The climate crisis is a health crisis”.

UK health worker organisation Medact and other organisations of health professionals from Scotland are demanding action from the UK government and world leaders.  They have demanded in a recent letter:

• To take decisive action to mitigate the wide reaching health impacts of climate change. 

• To ensure climate justice; climate change disproportionately affects those most vulnerable, so policy must redress this.

• Establish a Green New Deal; transition to a decarbonised society must be fair and equitable.

• Remove the influence of harmful polluters from COP.

Dr Claire Gaughan, a GP based in Forth Valley, said:

“The UK climate change committee states the UK is on track to meet only a 5th of its emissions targets. This, coming at a time where our government has the responsibility of leading the world on reducing emissions, is sickening. We need all leaders to take swift and radical measures now. It feels as though we are shouting but no one is listening and if they are listening, they are offering only platitudes.”

Dr Bridie Barnett, medical consultant in Highland, said:

 “As doctors, our job is to make a diagnosis and come up with the treatment. But the remedy to this crisis, the biggest health emergency this century, is not in our hands - it is in the hands of governments worldwide”.

Hundreds of health organisations and medical journals have recently highlighted the threat that climate change poses to human health and the urgency of acting, including WHO and the British Medical Journal.

Book Week Scotland Promo Photos with Author Denise Mina

Today Scottish Book Trust launches Book Week Scotland, beginning on November 15th and celebrating it’s tenth year. As such, the festival’s theme is Celebration, so for our photoshoot that’s exactly what we did!

Joining us for these photos was award winning author Denise Mina, who is kicking off the festival with a new documentary film, The Women Writers of Garnethill, in which she discusses the contribution women writers have made to the area and the city of Glasgow.

For our backdrop, we went along to Glasgow Women’s Library, a museum and archive dedicated to the lives, histories, and achievements of women - a fantastic institution, beautiful building, and one of the only collections of its kind in the country. (I recently wrote about contributing my images to their archive of the Reclaim These Streets vigils, which you can read here).

Having recently been transfixed by Mina’s Rizzio, a brutal recount of the murder of Mary Queen of Scots’ private secretary, I really enjoyed getting a chance to chat to her about the book and the horrors of that period, as I’m a big history nerd, and she paints such a dark and bloody picture of it all. She’s also bloody hilarious, and a pleasure to shoot with. We took the opportunity to shoot a couple of headshots while we were at it.

50,000 free copies of the Celebration book, pictured, will be available from libraries and other community venues during Book Week Scotland, and includes real life stories from people around the country, and authors like Eòghan Stewart, Mòrag Law and Ross Sayers. Dozens of events will be taking place during the festival week too, with many free online get-togethers like last year, which are thankfully also complimented by the return of offline events the length and breadth of the country.

“Book Week Scotland has become a highlight of Scotland’s literary calendar, the national event where a huge range of partners celebrate the connective power of reading and writing. It is where communities all over Scotland gather together to have conversations with writers and other readers, and where individuals all over the country share their love of books and the books they love. We look forward to celebrating ten years of Book Week Scotland with a fantastic line-up, with events both online and in person.”

- Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust

Scottish Book Trust is a national charity that believes everyone living in Scotland should have equal access to books. Their work provides opportunities to improve life chances through books and the fundamental skills of reading and writing.

For previous Book Week Scotland festivals, I’ve shot in locations all over the central belt, and at all kinds of events - one highlight being a live conversation between First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and author Maggie O’Farrell, in the stunning grand hall of Stirling Castle. Equally as exciting for me was a quick shoot in the depths of Tramway theatre Glasgow with Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, and a super shoot on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with comic book artist Frank Quitely and the Man of Steel himself. You can see a few of these highlights below.

This year, I’m glad to see real world events, which weren’t possible last time, return to the programme - I always love being a part of Scottish Book Trust’s brilliant work

Glasgow’s Spring Photo Book

UPDATE - Glasgow’s Spring was successfully funded, and is now in production! You can preorder a copy on my webstore HERE.

The next chapter in my portrait of the city is now live! Click on the video above to hear a bit about it, then hit the wee K symbol or click here to head straight to the Kickstarter page.

I’ve already written a bit about this year-long street photography project here, and my process for shooting it. But today, exactly twelve months after I started, and on the day I took the last photo on the last roll of film, I thought I’d write a bit about how and why I choose and arrange the images which make it into print.

If you’ve picked up a copy of Glasgow’s Winter or Glasgow’s Autumn, you’ll notice that the former has a very red colour palette while the latter is very blue. It will come as no surprise then that Spring is filled with green hues! These are the colours I associate with each season, and they also form the RGB primary colours which make up every other colour our world is saturated with. (Can you guess what the colour scheme of Glasgow’s Summer will be?)

Part of curating the images for each book is making sure these colours dominate, while also leaving room for all the other stories I want to include. Autumn was all about finding beauty in imperfection and endings; for Winter that beauty was found in the emptiness and isolation. For Spring, things come back to life, and are a bit more surreal and magical, mirroring Autumn with new beginnings and nature taking over the city. There’s also lots of subtle symbols of femininity and motherhood, (again mirroring the subtle masculine symbols found in Autumn). When Summer is completed, it will mirror Winter too.

I left a gap of six months between releasing Autumn and Winter, partly as I was more busy working with clients, but also because it means I was able to shoot the Spring photos (and even some Summer photos) while designing the Winter book - this means I have been able to make sure there are common threads and visual cues linking all four books - I’m calling these easter eggs, and I’m hoping they tie everything together, giving the feel of the city constantly shifting and changing as it does throughout the year.

So while each book tells its own story, with its own look and feel, they’re each part of the whole, and all four editions make up one big portrait of the city, and the wheel of the year turning around it.

No, I had no idea this is what it would turn into when I picked up this cute little camera twelve months ago and started photographing Autumn! As with most projects I take on, it quickly grew arms and legs, and like the city, developed a mind of it’s own.

This is due in no small part to the wonderful community that has grown around the project on Kickstarter. Their support from day one gave me the confidence to expand the project, and calls for a Winter edition confirmed I had to keep going. So because of that, each season has had it’s own Kickstarter campaign, to keep this community involved, and reward them for their support.

So if you haven’t already, please head along to the Kickstarter page and check it out. Thank you so much to all of you who have already backed it, and shared it with your friends - you’re legends!

Click here to visit my webstore where you can grab copies of Glasgow’s Autumn and Glasgow’s Winter.

Scottish Witcher Cosplay Photoshoot in Glasgow

Now that restrictions have eased, I am available for Cosplay shoots once again. Head on over to my Fantasy and Cosplay page to learn more, and fill out my contact form.

”After a large part of the year crafting armour and weaponry, I passed the Trial Of Grasses and with the help of some absolutely magical photography by Alasdair I can finally say I'm a fully fledged Witcher ⚔️”

- Stef, aka @Piggehwoo

Stef is a huge Witcher fan, and over lockdown she designed and created this female Geralt costume from scratch. And I really mean from scratch - every link in that chainmail she joined by hand, every piece of fabric was cut and sewn. While the rest of us were baking banana bread and binging Netflix, Stef was slaving over every buckle and stitch (though I’m pretty sure Netflix was on in the background too. Might also have been some Banana Bread).

Stef is a skilled prop maker, with Geralt’s swords and other props built with foam & polymer clay, and really beautifully finished & weathered. The only items not hand made were the wolf medallion (official merch!), and her boots. She styled the wig herself, and did her own makeup for the shoot.

What Stef and I have come to call her “Murder Strut”.

Such incredible work really deserves to be shown off in the most spectacular way possible, so when Stef contacted me about a shoot, I knew we had to pick a stunning location and really do her work justice. The tricky part however, was remaining within the Greater Glasgow NHS district, in order to keep in line with government Covid guidelines. Fortunately, Greater Glasgow is a treasure trove of stunning photoshoot locations, and I pride myself on knowing or finding all the best nooks and crannies for shoots.

I took us up to Mugdock to take advantage of the castle, where Geralt could brood and skulk around. Hmmm. Stef bravely scaled the walls for a couple of shots, and all the architectural details were perfect for the Witcher theme.

We also set out for a boggy area in the Country Park, which would be perfect for Geralt to find and investigate some entrails - one of his favourite activities in the videogame I’m told! Stef has many wonderful collections, and animal bones just happens to be one of them! Some theatrical blood, and a bit of Photoshop, and we had the remains of…. something.

“The location just has always had a magical feel for me, and once I had played the Witcher 3 game I knew it would just go so well”

- Stef.

Stef had already picked out a lochside location just up the road, with Dumgoyne looming in the distance. The area is full of gorgeous long grass, cliffs, and forest areas. I knew we wanted to be up there for sunset, so we timed our photos in Mugdock with that in mind. The light we enjoyed between the locations was just gorgeous, and I’m so proud of how the images turned out.

Some subtle off-camera flash adds drama to the scene and helps pick out details.

This is also where we created most of the action filled shots. Giving Stef directions is always great fun, as she Cosplays characters who she really loves, so is able to slip in and out of character as I ask her to recreate motions and draw out the characters emotions.

Stef’s partner Richard didn’t miss out on the fun here, as he donned a cloak, gripped a sword, and stood in as a baddie for Stef/Geralt to interrogate and ultimately slay. Poor Rich…

“You had so many great ideas and directions for the shoot, many of the framing/location options I would have never had thought of but look so great”

- Stef.

After the shoot, it was time to give my photos some attention in Photoshop. As well as accentuating the light and colour, recreating the look and feel of a fantasy landscape, I also took some images and turned Autumn into Winter. Summer too, transforming the seasons like a Witcher casting Signs. turning a sunny day into a snowy one is one of my favourite editing tricks.

I also put a lot of time into recreating Geralt’s magical powers. You don’t really get to see the business end of sign casting in the games, so I was able to get creative and find ways to incorporate the signs into all the magical sparks and flames. This is work I really love, and can easily get lost in for hours at a time as I paint and illuminate these special effects.

Using off-camera coloured flash during the shoot was essential in preparing the scene for these special effects in post-processing.

I’m so pleased with how beautiful these images turned out. Stef really looks the part as a Witcher, so toss her a coin!!

Follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Reddit.

“I dunno bout you but I love a behind the scenes shot! Reminds me of what a fun day we had”

- Stef

Here is a little gallery with some more images from the shoot. If you enjoy them, check out the rest of my Cosplay photography over on my Fantasy and Cosplay page, and if you’re interested in booking me for a shoot, fill out my contact form and we’ll start planning something epic :D

Glasgow’s Winter - Photo Book Kickstarter

UPDATE - Glasgow’s Winter was successfully funded, and copies can now here purchased directly from here HERE!

I’ve also launch Glasgow’s Spring! which you can pledge towards HERE.

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I’ve made a new book!!

Well, I’ve started making a new book, and with Kickstarter’s help I should have it finished by the end of July. It’s a portrait of the city, and that hellish Winter we just survived, in all it’s brutal, beautiful glory. To find out more, and to see what rewards are on offer, check out the Kickstarter page. For the story of how it came to be, read on below…

A Year in Glasgow

During lockdown last year, without the freedom to photograph events and families, I dug out my film photography equipment and started shooting on the streets of Glasgow. People, places, precipitation - wherever I saw something beautiful or interesting, I put it onto film, and I started building up a wee library of Glasgow magic. Playing with the kit was fun, but once I had the photos developed…. what was I gonna do with them?

I’m used to finishing a project and sending the files or prints off to the client, so all these photos sitting in a folder on my hard drive just didn’t feel right. I realised that if I shot another roll of film, I’d be able to capture the feeling of the season changing, from Summer to Autumn. That’s where Glasgow’s Autumn was born, a short 16 page Zine that I got a few test prints of, and intended to just show to friends.

At this point I was already looking into Kickstarter and how it worked, so as an experiment, I popped Glasgow’s Autumn up on the crowdsourcing platform to see what would happen. Wow! I had set a pretty small goal, about £150, as I only expected to sell a few copies to friends, but within 24 hours not only had it reached that goal, it had tripled it! The support from friends and the kind words from strangers was a bit overwhelming!

Thanks to my amazing Kickstarter backers the goal was totally smashed, and I’d set out a number of stretch goals - better printing materials, and more pages. What I ended up creating was a rather lovely 52 page photo book, capturing the beauty found in imperfection and impermanence, and it was entirely down to the Kickstarter backers and their faith in the project. You can check out the finished book here.

Once I held the book in my hands, I knew I had to continue this project, so decided to expand it into a year-long series. Meaning I had to get to work on Winter!

Since then, I haven’t left the house without the tiny Olympus Pen EE camera pictured above. It’s a half-frame camera, meaning it captures two portrait images side by side on the film; they’re a bit grainy, a little hazy, but full of character and energy. This definitely isn’t a project that calls for crisp, sharp, perfect images. It’s the imperfection that makes a city like Glasgow so wonderful, and my hope is that it’s the imperfection in a wee camera like this that gives these books a special, nostalgic, magical quality.

Using it has been a fantastic exercise for my photography-mind, as I don’t have any control over zoom or focus, and limited exposure control - leaving me to concentrate on composition and stories; trying to find scenes that fit well together side by side, and the best place to shoot them from.

Putting on my walking boots, and heading out into the city with this little photo machine in my hand has been such a great motivator to continue training my eye and keep creating. After this bizarre 18 months, creating and connecting with others have become my two priorities in life, and making these books has been a big part of that realisation.

Glasgow’s Winter

This Winter seemed to last forever - I reckon it was nearly 5 months before we felt anything like Spring. So in that time, I covered a lot of ground! I photographed places from Paisley to Bridgeton, Ruchill to Newton Mearns. The hardest part therefore has been deciding which photos will go into the book. Autumn and its 50 pages gave me a target to aim for, and at the moment it looks like I’ll be settling somewhere around 70.

As Spring brought the easing of restrictions, that meant I was a bit busier with photoshoots, so the second installment is launching a little later than planned, but I think that’s a good thing; being able to see these images with fresh eyes. It’s also allowed me to plan ahead, and prepare for the Spring and Summer editions; connecting each book with thematic and visual easter-eggs. You can probably tell I’m excited about it!

So that’s where the project currently stands. Head on over to the Kickstarter to read/watch more about what to expect in the books, and check out the different rewards and add-ons you can claim as a backer. Every single pledge means the world to me, so thank you or taking the time to check it out!

Here is the link - please feel free to share it with anyone who loves Glasgow, Winter, or Photography!

ww.kickstarter.com/projects/alasdairwatson/glasgows-winter

“These are our neighbours. Let them go!” - Glasgow Stands Against The UK Home Office

“These are Our Neighbours. Let them go!”

That was the cry from the crowd on Kenmure Street yesterday, during an incredible display of neighbourly solidarity from local Glaswegians, and a stand-off between the people, the Police, and the Home Office that lasted the best part of nine hours. In all my life, I’ve never experienced anything quite like it - this was not a premeditated protest, this was an entirely organic and spontaneous exercise of direct action, and the result of years of community organisation and residents resisting unjust authority.

Around 9am, Immigration Enforcement officers arrived in Pollokshields to undertake what is known as a “Dawn Raid”, where individuals are given no warning before being forcibly removed from their home and taken to a detention centre. They do this in the morning, when they know residents are likely to be at home and often sleeping. These raids have recommenced recently after the practice was condemned, protested, and brought to an end around five years ago.

Lakhvir Singh and Sumit Sehdevi, a mechanic and a chef who have been Glaswegians for over a decade, were separated from friends and family members, and forced into the back of the Immigration Enforcement Van. What followed showed of the power of connected communities and direct action. A neighbour, seeing what was happening, climbed right under the van, preventing the officers from driving away. This bought enough time for others to get involved and contact friends - both informal neighbourly connections, and organised groups.

Past struggles against injustice in the area meant that residents had established relationships, and knew exactly what to do to prevent the eviction. As the van was blocked by residents, a growing number of police officers made attempts to forcibly disperse the crowd. This attracted the attention of residents on nearby streets, who joined to protect their neighbours. By this point, word had got out via groups such as Glasgow No Evictions Campaign and Glasgow Living Rent, and Kenmure street was quickly filled with hundreds of people, defying intimidating police presence. This enormous and rapid response was completely spontaneous, and to me was very reminiscent of the way people will unthinkingly run towards a disaster, fire, or accident; born only of concern for fellow Glaswegians. This crowd didn’t gather because they personally knew these two men, they gathered because they understood the nature of these Immigration raids, and the inhumane and callous nature of the UK Government’s “Hostile Environment”, typified by Theresa May’s words “we can deport first and hear appeals later.” Indeed, according to the Home Office’s own figures, almost three quarters of raids like these target people who are actually ineligible for deportation - but once they are taken to a detention centre they can become trapped in the system and imprisoned without trial for years - in detention Centres where covid rates are high and conditions are notoriously awful. Had Lakhvir and Sumit faced deportation, it would have been to India, which is currently overwhelmed by a horrific wave of Covid. It really doesn’t bear thinking about, and is why the Pollokshields community were prepared to step in and prevent these unjust evictions.

During the hours-long standoff, the acts of compassion and solidarity continued. Local shops and faith centres opened their doors and distributed food and water to the crowd. People could be seen circulating the street offering drinks and facemasks. Neighbours looked out from windows, and painted signs of support began hanging from the flats above. Among the crowd were families, children, grandparents. As the news of the stand-off became national, Scottish politicians and other public figures began tweeting support for the people of Pollokshields, and a number of MSPs spoke to the crowd via telephones held up to megaphones. Alison Thewliss, MP for the area, attended in person, and loudly and strongly condemned the Home Office’s actions.

During all of this activity, while tension with police waxed and waned, and Glaswegians of every walk of life took their place on the street - Lakhvir and Sumit remained trapped within the tiny cells inside the Home Office Van. As Police refused to release them, the crowd continually called for them to be let go, and expressed concern for their wellbeing. The sun had been beating down for most of the day, and whether the men had been provided with food and water was unclear. Police made one final attempt to violently remove people under the pretence of allowing paramedic access - thankfully this did not escalate the situation, and credit must be given to the crowd for remaining entirely peaceful throughout the day. While peaceful, there was real anger in the air though; anger at Home Office Policy, Police tactics, the fate of the two detained men, and the concerning number of “Blue Lives Matter” patches being worn by officers - these not only go against Police Scotland uniform code, but are a blatant and irresponsible racist dog whistle, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. They are sold to raise money for a Police charity, but the image is inseparable from it’s divisive and oppositional connotations. That these officers displayed this aggressive bias proudly during such a tense situation centered on potential deportations was brazen, and honestly a bit dystopian.

Police Scotland issued a statement claiming they were only there for “public safety”, and are not involved in facilitating Home Office procedures. To anyone who was on Kenmure street, this is transparently incorrect. It was only the Police who held the power to release the detainees, and officers repeatedly tried to prevent interruption to the eviction, at times violently. Thankfully, and to the ire of a no doubt apoplectic Home Office, Police Scotland chose not to further escalate the situation, instead choosing to release the two men to the community. Having gathered a greater number of officers and horses than I have ever seen at any incident, thoughts of how differently things could have gone are chilling.

After a long day, paramedics were finally sent to check on the pair, and lawyer Aamer Anwar achieved a written agreement with the authorities that the men would be released into his care, with no charges to be made against them, and no further eviction attempt made until their case was looked at further. [The UK Home Office have since made public their continued intention to deport Lakhvir and Sumit, with no sign on backing down or changing policy].

As Lakhvir and Sumit were released from the van to rapturous cheers, a wall of police escorted them to a nearby faith centre, surrounded along the road by the ecstatic crowd. Handed megaphones, they gave their thanks to the people of Glasgow who had stepped in to prevent what would have been a horrible ordeal. I cannot adequately put into words the emotion that saturated the air at this moment - the people of Glasgow stood up to the UK Home Office, stared down Police Scotland, and had won. This series of events started with one man diving under a van, but sends a powerful message to the rest of the UK; we reject Westminster’s Hostile Environment, and it will be resisted.

The Home Office has since reiterated it’s intention to continue the war on working-class immigrants and refugees, but now the people of the UK have seen that resistance is not futile. How the Scottish Government and Police Scotland choose to move forward is anyone’s guess, but I suspect the three-way stand off we saw on Kenmure street will continue around the country. Whether the decision to release the men came from officers on the ground who could see the obvious fact that the people of Pollokshields would not relent, or whether it came from the Scottish Government who Police Scotland are ultimately answerable to, one thing is for sure - this was only possible due to connected communities, and is another reason why I love this wonderful city.

On the matter of Covid-19, it’s clear that gatherings of people should be avoided; we’re in a pandemic, and being near people risks increasing transmissions. Some problems really require direct actions however - so how do we balance these two competing forces? I’ve gone back and forth on this a lot in the last twelve months, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the only people who should have the right to decide on whether gathering for direct action should take place are those directly affected by the problem. So for example, last summer refugees were being forced into inhumane conditions in hotels - a demonstration at George Square was their only option to bring attention to what was, to them, an emergency. Similarly, the actions that took place on Kenmure street were the result of a community responding to an emergency.

And to the crowd’s credit, in my own judgement, people adjusted their behaviour as best they could given the circumstances. The seriousness of the virus was lost on no one, and as such distance was kept wherever possible (and people were incredibly polite about it), masks were worn by all throughout the day, and while many stood shoulder to shoulder, very few ever stood face to face. I am not exaggerating when I say I felt safer among this community than I would within a busy beer garden, where masks are not necessary, people sit face to face at close distances, and alcohol dulls our sense of distance.

Nevertheless, I will be performing at-home Covid tests when appropriate, as I do before and after every shoot I undertake this year.

May Day 2021

It’s May Day! To some that means International Workers day; thoughts of equality, solidarity, and honouring those who fought for our rights.

To others it means Beltane; and thoughts of Summer approaching, new beginnings, and growth. Beltane literally means “bright fire”, symbolic of the sun growing in the sky, a new season beginning, and of communities coming together to celebrate.

To me, it’s also a really good excuse to share this fiery photo from Barry & Sara’s Wedding. I’ve always adored it, but seldom find an excuse to share it. I don’t know who the fire juggler is, but their identity obscured by the blur of their dance is all part of its magic.

Weddings are the rituals by which we mark the beginning of a new chapter in life, and celebrate the love growing. In that way, every Wedding is its own little Beltane celebration. Your community, your family, get together around the fire, and celebrate the days to come. More Weddings should absolutely involve more fire rituals!

I think this Beltane is more poignant than most, as we come out of one of our generation’s darkest winters.

Similarly, I think this International Workers Day is an opportunity to learn from all the efforts and sacrifices made in the last twelve months, and to really reevaluate what we consider to be “proper work” and how much we value it as a society.

Whatever you’re doing today, I hope the sun is shining on you. Better days are coming!

Enjoy some more photos of Barry & Sara’s Weddingfest on the Black Isle; many, many moons ago.

Glasgow Community Garden at Kingston DIY Skatepark

There’s been some amazing work going on down at KingstonDIY - As well as the community built skatepark, which just keeps growing and growing, some local residents (legends) created this garden for people to enjoy.

Below are some more progress pics I took when I visited the garden recently: if you'd like to support the ongoing project, you can donate here - https://bit.ly/3gMexyn

If you know of any other grassroots community led work going on in Glasgow, give me a message as I’d love to swing by with my camera.

Reclaim These Streets Glasgow

UPDATE - Since writing, the ribbons and signs have been collected, and along with my photographs seen below, they are being archived by Glasgow Women’s Library.

This weekend, in public spaces all across Glasgow, people came to tie ribbons, leave messages of solidarity, share their stories, and reflect upon everything the last week has brought up. These photos show the vigils at George Square, Queen's Park, Mary Barbour's Statue in Govan, Kelvingrove Park, and Alexandra Park.

I think being able to share and reflect as communities was incredibly important, so I wanted to help document the vigils in these images before they are removed by the council and organisers.
I chose not to attend on Saturday evening and risk increasing the footfall, as Police Scotland threatened organisers with arrest and fines if any gatherings occurred. So instead, these photos were taken on Sunday morning. People continued to pay their respects and add their tributes throughout the day.

Every ribbon, note, and candle you see in these images represents someone who has experienced men's violence.

In the words of comedian Daniel Sloss, there are monsters among us and they look like us - so it's up to us, men, to end men's violence. It's not enough to not be part of the problem, we need to actively be part of the solution, because otherwise the world will continually refuse to be changed. That means listening, having difficult conversations with each other, and challenging acts of misogyny.

This week has been really hard, with constant news coverage of men's violence against women, and social media filled with anger and ignorance. It's important that we all validate the anger, grief, and exhaustion that many are feeling right now, and be there for our loved ones if they need us.
Groups like RapeCrisis Scotland, Scottish Women's Aid and Shout 85258 are there too, to support anyone affected by the kinds of issues that have been unavoidable.

#reclaimthesestreets

George Square

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Queen’s Park

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Kelvingrove Park

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Alexandra Park

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Govan Cross - Mary Barbour Statue

Making Recovery Visible Joins Glasgow’s Sunny G Community Radio

Donna wanted to talk about her road to recovery, and make peace with her old home town, so she reached out to Jennifer at the Stranraer and Wigtownshire Free Press to tell her story - and I had the pleasure of creating these photos with her down at Sunny Govan Community Radio

We had a great time getting to know each other, talking about addiction recovery services in Scotland, and pretending to hit all the buttons in the studio (without disrupting the live broadcast!)

The stigmas around addiction are a barrier to recovery, and as a society we need to do much better in supporting people to make peace with their past and build better futures. Donna is doing great work to highlight this and make recovery visible.

You can tune into Donna's show Making Recovery Visible every Tuesday at 6pm, 103.5fm and online at SunnyG.com

End Hotel Detention

This blog was written before the tragic events which took place at the Park Inn Hotel on June 26th 2020.

My photographs here show a demonstration led by refugees who were forced from their homes and into Hotel Detention, and the inhumane conditions imposed by the UK Home Office and its hired service providers. These conditions greatly increased their risk of contracting Coronavirus, among other dangers to physical and mental health. In many cases, access to health care was denied. More information on the state of conditions in the hotels can be read here.

Raising awareness in this way was a last resort, but was unfortunately a matter of life or death; at time of writing, the hotel detention policy has already claimed one life here in Glasgow, and threatens hundreds more.

Sadly the aims of the demonstration have been lost in the noise created by the violence it was subjected to. Media reporting has sidelined the plight of the refugees, and in many cases has misrepresented the violence as "clashes". This is why I felt it so important to attend and help represent some of the most vulnerable people in the city. I have included some images of the unrest to illustrate the feeling of chaos that at times ensued, however I do not wish to further detract from the important message that the demonstration sought to share.

The demonstrators had three demands for the UK Home Office, on behalf of all those under hotel detention;

1. An Immediate improvement to hotel living conditions. Including keys to open windows for ventilation, hot drinks facilities, hand sanitiser in shared areas, access to period products, an end to communal meals.

2. All those moved to hotels must be returned to their own homes. Immediate arrangements made for the return of occupants to their own homes, or equivalent, safe, own-door homes.

3. Immediate reinstatement of financial support to all those moved to hotels. Those moved to hotels had all financial supports suspended, leaving most without any funds for essential items and costs (such as phone tops ups, hygiene products etc). Financial supports (typically £30-40 per week) must be reinstated immediately.

If you would like to lend your support to those affected by these policies, you can make a donation here, and you can find a template to write to your MP here.

The following is my own account of the events which took place at the demonstration;
In response to this relatively small, sociallay distanced, peaceful demonstration led by asylum seekers, a large group of far right thugs coordinated an attack, and I'm sad to say Police Scotland failed to prepare for the scale of the threat. The violent group gathered in George Square for over an hour, and their their aims clear with their racist chants and gestures. I feel it is important to stress that their presence had absolutely nothing to do with “protecting statues” as has been disingenuously reported by the media and a wholly irresponsible public statement from Police Scotland.

At exactly 6pm this violent mob charged into the peaceful demonstration, assaulting anyone they could reach as people scattered in fear, regrouping to prevent individuals from being chased and assaulted. After 10-15 minutes of violent chaos, the police finally established lines separating the mob from the demonstrators, who had managed to stay together, protect each other, and remain peaceful throughout.

Unfortunately, as you can see in my photos, the police forced the peaceful demonstration into a tiny area - which prevented social distancing - before forcing the peaceful demonstrators to leave. At no time was any attempt made to manage or disperse the violent mob, who Police Scotland afforded the entirety of George Square and adjacent streets to chase and attack people, including random passers-by and members of the press. This group threw Nazi salutes, sang loyalist songs, shouted slurs like n*****, p***, f*****, and displayed other deeply unpleasant behaviour. It has been a long time since I have ever seen quite this level of venomous bloodlust or gleeful hatred.

The response, or the lack thereof, from Police Scotland towards this onslaught was utterly bewildering, as a small peaceful group of rattled demonstrators who had been attacked were forcefully corralled and removed while the jeering mob who attacked them was allowed to continue their violence and destruction of George Square, completely unchallenged. It should really come as no surprise, as our city is regularly subjected to the behaviour of these groups of nazi-saluting, Union Jack waving thugs - but I am truly ashamed that because these groups of people have been dismissed and ignored for decades, they have now reached the point that they are emboldened to repeatedly occupy the city centre with unchallenged violent hatred like this.

Police Scotland’s public statement branding these two groups as “statue protectors and statue destroyers” is firstly completely irrational; no one threatens any statues in Glasgow, except those thugs who were “protecting” the statues by climbing over them and pissing against them. But by willfully conflating this organised, bigoted violence with “statue protecting”, Police Scotland play right into the hands of those far right thugs who set out to wreak havoc on Glasgow’s streets, and their hatred for marginalised groups like those demonstrating for humane living conditions.

I fear that a massive shift in both local/national policy and public perception is required to quell further displays of violence, now that this genie has been let out of the bottle.

Glasgow Lockdown; Community Food Delivery Service from LINKES

With the country in lockdown due to the pandemic, the outpouring of organised support across the city really is inspiring.

The amazing folks at Linkes Community Project - Glasgow have helped organise this food delivery service for people who are self-isolating in Knightswood.

All food is freshly prepared to the strictest safety standards, social distancing is maintained throughout, and bags are dropped off via contactless delivery.

Here are my images, illustrating the process from kitchen to doorstep delivery.

If you wish to discuss a referral for someone over 70 or with a serious health condition and no family to help, Contact LINKES on 01419547554 for more information.