STANDS STILLS
THESE images from the early 80s show how life plodded on for the ordinary people of the Northern Isles, despite the discovery of oil on their doorstep.
While the black gold found in the 70s brought transformative riches to some, most people continued on in the same traditions they had followed for centuries.
An exhibition of images taken by three of Scotland’s finest photographers captures Scotland’s remote landscapes and people.
Glyn Satterley’s pictures of Caithness and Sutherland demolish the myth that the area flourished in the oil boom.
Glynn said: “The pictures An exhibition of pictures from trio of Scots photographers captures essence of everyday life for people living on the northern isles during the early 80s. The show, which will tour the country, celebrates traditions and the wild landscapes show what it was like in the area at pictures are part of an exhibition hard graft of rural life in Orkney, the time and, sadly, it was a now showing at the Street Level including sheep being transported neglected and overlooked area.” gallery in Glasgow but they will also by boat from the small island of He found the people friendly and tour the country on the Screen Copinsay to be sold in Kirkwall. far from reclusive. Glynn added: “As Machine – an 80-seat, And we can also see at a long as you approached them in a air-conditioned mobile cinema. fishermen’s co-operative on Orkney genuine way, people were very Tom Kidd’s pictures from Nesting the hot and sweaty task of boiling happy to be photographed.” The in the east of Shetland show one crabs, which would then be couple so in sync with their packaged and sold. rural life that a pet All three collections appeared in a lamb pads about their series by Paul Harris Publishing, a kitchen. photography publisher based in And the airport Edinburgh at the time. firemen at Scatsta, Malcolm Dickson, director of Shetland’s commercial Street Level said: “The exhibition airport, look like brings back to public awareness spacemen from the three bodies of work largely future. The late Chick forgotten – and they paint a portrait Chalmers captured the of the north in a particular period.”