Trying to Make Some Sense of it All

Trying to Make Some Sense of it All brings back to life a set of colour images that have been silent and hidden from view for 45 years. It pivots around the recent discovery of two boxes of 35mm Kodachrome colour slides in my mother-in-law’s house, and the mystery surrounding the ownership of these ‘found’ images. The photographs, dating from 1979 to 1980, were shot in Britain, nominally Glasgow and its environs. And while they open up the family home of the amateur photographer who cements his own identity as the imagemaker in certain shots, the family nonetheless remains enigmatic and elusive.

This ‘found’ work is presented to the viewer in two modes for them to scrutinise: a photobook and a set of large colour prints. The viewer is therefore invited to draw on the locations, individuals, hobbies, cars, home décor, fashion, possessions, relationships, and social activities revealed in the images so that they may create their own narratives. The enduring power and allure of film-based photography is implicit in this project.

* My project title is a line taken from the lyrics of the 1973 hit ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’ by Glasgow band, Stealers Wheel.