Photographer celebrates diverse residents of his old neighbourhood Framed: On the streets of Scotland’s Ellis Island
featured in the windows of shops, cafes and businesses as part of the Govanhill International Festival, which
Simon Murphy was runs until the end of August.
honoured when he It’s the latest development
learned his exhibition of a long-running project
of photography was to which has seen him capture
feature in a leading gallery. on film the scores of individuals But when the pandemic encountered on the streets forced the venue to lock down, of his former neighbourhood. it led to an opportunity – rather And as racial tensions have than hoping for people to come to the fore both in the UK come to his exhibition, Simon and the US, he feels his work’s would bring his exhibition to message is more pertinent the people. than ever.
Now instead of hanging He said: “I was disappointed them on the walls of the in some ways, because Street Street Level gallery Level is such an important in Merchant City, gallery and it’s a Glasgow, the lensman privilege to have work is preparing in there. But bringing to unveil his photographs the exhibition to the on the community makes it streets where he more accessible and took them. in some ways that’s
Entitled Govanhill, more important. the collection “My family is from
Lensman Simon
captures portraits Govanhill and I’ve
Murphy from of characters lived there on and
Govanhill, Glasgow, from the off my whole life.
highlighted below
diverse community It’s one of the most on the city’s southside, diverse areas in Scotland. It’s once dubbed Scotland’s Ellis not without its problems, but Island, after the location where that makes it exciting, you immigrants arriving in New meet a lot of interesting characters. York were welcomed to the US. There’s a richness to it.” Up to 53 languages are spoken Simon was working as a in Govanhill which has postman when he decided a rich history of immigrant to become a photographer, lives, from Irish arrivals in the after having his imagination 19th and early 20th Century stirred while delivering to Italian, Polish and Jewish picture-postcards. migrants after the Second Since then he has interWorld War and Asian and Roma viewed scores of international arrivals in recent decades. celebrities and politicians, and Simon’s pictures will be travelled the world in a 20-year career covering human interest stories in countries such as Bangladesh, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Cambodia.
He said: “To see the pictures, people will have to walk around, get a feel for the streets and speak to the locals. Perhaps it might challenge some of the preconceived ideas about
the place.”
Faces framed on streets of Govanhill: Clockwise from top, Emil, Alan, Paisley and Sara
Simon Murphy