CHILDREN in Govanhill have been working with an award-winning photographer to snap their streets.
The initiative, run by charity Sistema Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland, saw kids from the Big Noise charity centre pick up their cameras along with veteran artist Simon Murphy.
Murphy, who has won numerous awards in his career, has been photographing the Glasgow district for 16 years.
He said: “Working with the young people of Govanhill, the National Galleries of Scotland and Big Noise is very special for me as it's a chance to pass on my experiences and open young eyes to the possibility that art can play a part in shaping their futures.
“Seeing the reactions of the young people to their images of their own community being displayed, and the sense of pride it gave not only them but the community members too, was incredibly rewarding.”
Murphy ran a series of workshops with the children alongside the Big Noise programme, a charity that aims to improve the prospects of young people’s lives through engaging them in music and art.
Rehan Azher, aged 14, was one of the children involved in the project. He said: “It was fun just exploring and photographing the local area.
“I’ve never really done photography or anything like that before, and even though I live in Govanhill, we were discovering places and things I’ve never noticed before.”
The project was inspired by Thomas Annan, a photographer that captured ordinary life in Glasgow in the 19th century.
Simon Murphy’s career has spanned beyond Glasgow, however, as the photographer has worked in Africa, Asia and South America too.
He has previously photographed figures from Glasgow such as Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie, as well as enormously famous individuals such as the Dalai Lama.
Sistema Scotland run the Big Noise charity, which has six centres across the country. Paul Sullivan, one of the directors, said: “We were delighted to work with Simon Murphy and extremely proud of the way our young people responded to the project.
“Their pieces give us an insight into modern Govanhill and the places and people that matter to our young people.”
