Making Space: Photographs of Architecture
Making Space: Photographs of Architecture
National Galleries Scotland: Portrait
7 October 2023 – 3 March 2024
Free Entry
Making Space | Photographs of Architecture | National Galleries of Scotland
Take a visual journey through the history of architecture and explore the connection between people, places and photography in the National Galleries of Scotland’s new exhibition, Making Space: Photographs of Architecture.
Opening yesterday at the Portrait gallery in Edinburgh, the exhibition focuses on one of the most enduring themes in the story of photography: architecture. With over 40 photographs from the 1840s to the present day to see, Making Space is the fourth instalment in a popular series of free exhibitions which explores the richness of Scotland’s national photography collection.
Generously supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and awarded funds by Postcode Culture Trust, Making Space not only considers the integral role of architecture in the history of photography, but also how buildings impact everyday life. Architecture has the power to tackle inequality, address social issues including homelessness, poverty and displacement, and even create a more sustainable future; key themes considered throughout the exhibition.
Visually engaging and physically static, buildings were the perfect subjects for early photography, with the evolving built landscape continuing to inspire photography enthusiasts today.
From the dawn of its invention to new techniques of today, Making Space spans the breadth of photographic history. The exhibition invites visitors to peer through the camera lens and uncover a diverse range of photographic styles, formats and processes.
From Hill & Adamson’s early experiments on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill to spectacular contemporary photographs which capture the breathtaking scale of modern buildings.
Standout modern works include Andreas Gursky’s San Francisco which goes on display at the Portrait for the first time since its acquisition in 1999. Deliberately disorientating, Gursky uses digital manipulation to challenge perception, with humans often appearing insignificant and dominated by their built environment.
The exhibition also features three key loans from Tate, including work by renowned photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher, Candida Höfer and Hiroshi Sugimoto.
Making Space introduces several acquisitions made by National Galleries of Scotland in recent years, including six works from Scottish photographer Chris Leslie’s Disappearing Glasgow series and a further six from Canadian born Sylvia Grace Borda’s project exploring modernist architecture in East Kilbride.
Untitled (Rosemary and Ocean) and Untitled (Sweetbriar and Atlantic) by Philadelphia based photographer Mark Havens round off the new acquisitions, with his colourful works gifted to National Galleries Scotland in 2019.
The social history of Scotland plays a central role within Making Space, with some of the earliest work providing a window into Scotland’s past, and more recent work tackling the issues of today.
Historic highlights include David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson’s photographs from the early 1840’s, depicting the construction of Edinburgh’s Sir Walter Scott Monument. These iconic images not only record the birth of one of the Scottish capital’s most recognisable manmade features, but also provide the first known photographic documentation of a building site.
Heading west to Glasgow, Thomas Annan’s The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow series offers a 19th century view on what could also be considered a 21st century problem – the housing crisis.
In documenting the overpopulation in the east end of the city, Annan used photography to highlight inequality and push for change. This collection of photographs is now recognised as pivotal to documentary photography, offering visitors insight into an important moment in history.
Linking historic photographs to the present day are a wide variety of contemporary works from across Scotland. Picking up where Thomas Annan left off, albeit over a century later, Leslie’s Disappearing Glasgow series documents stories from the people on the frontline of the city’s extensive demolition and regeneration programme.
Following years of decline, Glasgow’s Red Road Flats were eventually demolished in 2013, with former residents watching from the sidelines. The building’s demise and subsequent social impact have been carefully recorded by Leslie.
At the other end of the spectrum, the work of Sylvia Grace Borda tackles the evolving nature of architecture and the ways in which it can be used to improve society. Designed in 1947 and widely considered one of the most complete Modernist towns in the UK, East Kilbride was constructed to relieve pressure from an overpopulated Glasgow.
A visual record of the town was created by Borda between 2005-2017, highlighting not only the modern architecture, but the green spaces, integrated public services and homes flooded with natural light, showing what architectural design can achieve when the needs of people are at its heart.
Sir John Leighton, Director-General of the National Galleries of Scotland said: “This continued series of free exhibitions at the Portrait Gallery is a fantastic way to explore the history of photography though the richness and diversity of the national collection.
“Making Space: Photographs of Architecture presents an opportunity to not only marvel in the evolution of photography, but also consider the impact our built environment has on society, health, and sustainability.
“We are proud to present several new acquisitions by contemporary photographers from Scotland and beyond, displayed for the first time alongside work by the trailblazers who inspired them.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Architecture impacts us in ways we don’t often realise – the built environment around us affects how we feel.
“Our players have raised over £5 million in funding for the National Galleries of Scotland. I’m delighted that this money means exhibitions like Making Space are free for everyone to enjoy and learn more about architecture and how it impacts people’s lives across Scotland.”
Making Space: Photographs of Architecture opened at the Portrait yesterday on Saturday 7 October.
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