Co-operative Photography with Morwenna Kearsley

A series of FREE workshops with Morwenna Kearsley, a visual artist and photographer. Morwenna likes to photograph objects, from museum artefacts and personal effects to discarded scraps and draped fabrics and often collaborates with other people via workshops, evening classes and community arts projects.

These workshops will explore the architectural heritage of the Co-operative movement and Paisley Co-operative & Manufacturing Society.

Participants will take part in photo-walks, documenting local historic locations; investigate memorabilia by exploring photographic still life; experiment with photographic collage and experiment with self-portraiture. Morwenna will create a series of posters from the work produced in the sessions, for display in a group show as part of a thematic exhibition.

Please feel free to book on to all four workshops or select the one(s) that interest you most. No prior experience is necessary. Please get in touch for any access needs.

Wednesday 1st February 2022: In this session, we will look at a selection of archival photographs relating to The Art Department, once part of the huge Co-operative Wholesale Society, as well as looking at the work of other artists who have photographed buildings in unique and fascinating ways. Morwenna will provide camera training and suggest some techniques for making interesting photographs (please bring your own digital camera or smartphone) and then lead an outdoor photo walk to look at and photograph local historic buildings. We will finish the session by looking at and discussing the images produced.

Wednesday 15th February 2022: In this session, we will look at memorabilia and symbols from the Co-operative movement and Paisley Co-operative & Manufacturing Society and think about how this could be incorporated into our photography. We will create a series of photographic still lifes using colourful backdrops (please feel free to bring along any relevant objects or memorabilia if you have any!)

Wednesday 22nd February 2022: In this session, we will explore various forms of photographic collage: from cutting & pasting to sewing. For inspiration, we will look at examples of collage over the centuries, thinking about its use in political movements. Using archival images related to the Co-operative movement and Paisley Co-operative & Manufacturing Society and/or your own photographs (a B&W printer will be available) we will experiment with making a series of new images.

Saturday 25th February 2022: In this session, we explore self-portraiture through photography. Morwenna will present self-portraits from the beginnings of photography through to the present day and we’ll think about self-portraiture as a political tool. Morwenna will provide camera training and suggest some techniques (please bring your own digital camera or smartphone) and then lead an outdoor photo walk to create self-portraits using reflections in the buildings around us. The session will end with a photo-sharing and discussion session.

Biography

Morwenna Kearsley

Website: http://www.morwennakearsley.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morwenna_grace

Morwenna Kearsley is Glasgow-based photographer. She likes to photograph objects, from museum artefacts and personal effects to discarded scraps and draped fabrics. Her photographs and writing are often informed by analogue processes and by the practised set of actions employed when at work in a darkroom. She studied for a BA(Hons) in Photography, Film & Imaging at Napier University, graduating in 2007. With the support of a Leverhulme Scholarship for Fine Art, she received an MFA from The Glasgow School of Art in 2015. She often collaborates with other people via workshops, evening classes and community arts projects.