30 January 2025
This month we’ll be delving into 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography Collection. This world-class collection officially started in 1984 with the premise of establishing a significant body of works by the pioneers of photography, Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. Over the last 40 years numerous collectors and photographers have donated works, from the Edinburgh Photographic Society to a collection of contemporary works that have been acquired by the National Galleries and Tate.
The selected pieces on show are from an extensive range of over 55,000 works, covering a broad scope of the lens from social documentary to contemporary art. There’s a lot to pack in here, covering a range elements, so we focus on the many dimensions, techniques and compositions that we can fit in.
Joining us on this exciting journey will be Edinburgh-based photography scholar and lecturer Dr Roberta McGrath. Roberta writes on the history, theory and politics of photographic representation.
27 July 2023
For this month’s Spin event we will be heading to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery to discuss the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, with curator Louise Pearson.
Capturing and sharing emotional, dramatic, or everyday moments in life is the magic of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize. Featuring celebrated professionals and enthusiastic amateur photographers, the prize celebrates the very best in contemporary photography, drawing on over 4,000 entries from 62 countries.
The final selection showcases 51 portraits from 36 artists, which includes several famous faces, including footballer and activist Marcus Rashford and Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard. The winner of this year’s Prize is Clémentine Schneidermann for the series Laundry Day. The socially distanced portraits of the series were taken during times of quarantine, self-isolation, and national lockdowns. In the words of the artist, they ‘document micro events which deal with the passage of time through the small moments of our daily lives’
