FONDS: Objects Speak Louder Than Words - exhibition launch on Friday!
This Friday sees the launch of our collaborative exhibition, as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories and the Govanhill International Festival and Carnival. Twenty-five images of objects that have meaning for their owners will be on display in the shop and cafe windows around Govanhill.
A map will be able to download and you’ll also be able to listen to all the audio stories on this page from 12 August.
My Grandmother’s High Heels from Ukraine - Kate Samuels
By Sorana Horsia
Photos By Morwenna Kearsley/Street Level Photoworks/CultureCollective
“It feels like an artefact. It's like something I took, Indiana Jones style, from a temple and swapped with a bag of sand. I am the custodian over something that does something to me, that brings me emotion, but that doesn't necessarily belong to me."
You can really get to know someone by asking them the objects that they treasure. Above, Sam Gonçalves describes a little picture box that once belonged to his grandmother. When she bought it on a beach in Brazil 50 years ago, she never could have imagined how far it would travel – or what it would mean to her grandson to have something that she had once pressed her eye against, the same way he does now.
What I realised after interviewing over twenty people about their most valuable objects is that they are not special because of their physical characteristics or monetary value. Instead, they represent people's closest relatives, their best friends, a crucial moment in their lives or a connection with their roots. From a simple found feather, to a set of hearing aids, a 200-year-old blouse to an angel figurine – no object or story is alike.
In the photographs, the objects are suspended in radiant colours. Photographer Morwenna Kearsley, a resident artist in Govanhill as part of the Culture Collective programme with Street Level Photoworks captured the images with an innovative technique which showcases the objects in a whole new light. She used a 4x5 inch view camera and shot the images on colour film. Instead of using traditional lighting techniques, she used a darkened studio and a moving torch to light the image over an eight minute exposure. The end result is a shimmering silky look evocative of retro glossy advertising.
Read more: Govanhill Culture Collective Exhibition at Street Level Photoworks
Speaking about the project, she said: “This set-up created such a special environment in which to photograph someone’s evocative object and simultaneously listen to them explain the story behind it. It’s been such an honour to photograph these objects and to attempt to solve some of the visual problems that have cropped up in terms of composition. I’ve also met so many lovely and interesting people and feel as though I’ve been on a trip around the world through looking at the objects and listening to the stories behind them. I could continue with this project for much longer, maybe forever!”
The experiences of talking about their special object in the dark has left a mark on the interviewees as well. They brought their most sentimental belongings to the Southside Studios and got to see them in a way they never saw them before. "It's nice to tell people about it," said Katherine Midgley after sharing the story of her mandolin that used to belong to her father. Many described it as a therapeutic experience.
In order to bring his object to the shoot – a BBC training certificate – Ibrahim Kamara bought a frame. He found a place for it next to his bed. It made him realise so much more why this object is so important to him "Every day I look at it, I smile. I say 'Ooh, that's me! That's my certificate, yeah'."
The exhibition was inspired by the unveiling of the Govanhill mural which we featured in the last issue. Every letter of the mural is adorned with a pattern inspired by objects belonging to the people of Govanhill. This led to the development of the project, initially as a partnership between Greater Govanhill and Thriving Places Govanhill.
While the objects are at the core of the project, they are merely a vessel for people’s memories and feelings. As the interviewer, they were an incredible tool for discovering the people that were sitting in front of me. It was a privilege to listen to the participants open up in the dark, all eyes and attention focused on the object lit by this moving beam. It made me realise what I love about journalism: to ask questions and discover the stories of people I've never met before, stories that might otherwise never have been heard.
Check out the radio show that accompanies the exhibition here
This event has been supported by the Year of Stories 2022 Community Stories Fund. This fund is being delivered in partnership between VisitScotland and Museums Galleries Scotland with support from National Lottery Heritage Fund thanks to National Lottery players.
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