Port Glasgow Book Project
The concept was to produce and distribute a hardback book of
'social documentary' images, with high-production values, that
subverted conventional ways in which such books are disseminated as
'art', or 'coffee-table', and questioned the way in which social
documentary photography sometimes depends on an inherent framework
of exploitation. In this way, rather than have a public artwork
imposed upon them, each household was given a book. It was not
available anywhere else, commercially, or otherwise. Once
delivered, they each had singular ownership of the book, and could
choose to cherish it as a social document, discard it, or even
attempt to sell it on eBay'.
Like East Ayrshire, Port Glasgow faces social and economic
problems brought on by a decline in local industry; only fifty
years ago it was the world centre for shipbuilding, now only one
yard remains.
The exhibition showcased a comprehensive selection of photographs taken from the book, together with a wealth of information about the community response to his ground-breaking project. The show included e-mails, letters, and newspaper articles from the Greenock Telegraph, radio interviews, and a new 16mm film and slide presentation, all of which gave voice to the views of residents of Port Glasgow and was exhibited alongside large hand prints of Neville's photographs.
Mark Neville is a Glasgow based artist whose work, primarily with film and photography, has been exhibited recently at Tate Britain, Modern Art Oxford, Tramway, Street Level, and the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow.
