Reflections from the picture desk on heritage exhibition – Stories from our Streets
Greater Govanhill’s Picture Desk team, Iain McLellan and Laura Vroomen, reflect on One Day in Govanhill — a collaborative photo project at the heart of a new exhibition, Stories From our Streets, exploring the neighbourhood’s living heritage, community spirit and the stories that unfolded on a single, extraordinary day.
Photo by Rhiannon Davies
Govanhill is full of stories – in its streets, shopfronts and everyday conversations. Its rich, multicultural heritage is everywhere, woven into the fabric of daily life. Our new exhibition celebrates local and living heritage, inviting us to pause, look closer and notice the narratives unfolding around us.
The exhibition features video portraits and an interactive map inviting visitors to share their own stories. But at its heart is One Day in Govanhill, a photographic project from the Greater Govanhill Photography Group. The idea was simple: capture a single, ordinary day from start to finish. But 6 October proved anything but ordinary. Govanhill’s diversity revealed itself minute by minute, hour by hour – frame by frame.
Seventeen local photographers, each with one roll of film and just one hour, used analogue cameras to document fleeting, everyday moments. The result is an honest, powerful portrait of the neighbourhood – a day in the life that tells a bigger story.
Our picture desk team – Iain McLellan and Laura Vroomen – sat down to reflect on that day.
Laura: I was wondering how you prepared for the day? Personally, having signed up for the 6–7am slot because I was keen to try some film photography in the dark, I actually went out to practice at 6am on the previous Sunday. With all these talented photographers in our midst, I was scared of messing up.
Iain: I didn’t prepare that much, other than to open up the office at around 8 am to meet snappers, hand over rolls of film and give any last-minute bits of advice needed. With the essential supply of coffee and pastries on hand, the Community Newsroom on Bowman Street was the hub of the operation.
Laura: I think you always had a very clear plan though, whereas I started the day with just a few vague ideas about locations and perhaps an early bus. So it came as a big surprise to me that I ended up taking several portraits. There are more people out and about at the crack of dawn than you’d expect.
Iain: My day revolved around being at the Al-Farooq community centre on Dixon Avenue. I was privileged to have been given access to photograph afternoon prayers. Everything fell into place around this. I also knew I wanted to do a portrait of my neighbour Mr Ahmad, as he is a sixty-plus year Govanhill resident. Apart from that, I just made it up as I went along.
What do you think the qualities of film brought to the project? For me, it meant a more considered way of looking – you have 36 frames per roll, unlike digital, where you can just rattle off images to your heart's content. You are left with tangible negatives which are then printed onto photo paper, they have a quality that no digital image can match.
Laura: Some of us were still getting to grips with our analogue cameras, yet that didn’t stop us from having a go. That brought an element of spontaneity to the project – perhaps paradoxically because, as you say, film requires a more considered approach. I was also intrigued by the graininess of the very sensitive B&W film that I’d not worked with before.
What was the highlight of the day for you? What stands out for me was the great feeling of camaraderie in the Newsroom. As each of the snappers popped in to collect or drop off their film and to share stories and occasionally free food given to them by the shopkeepers they photographed. The sense of adventure and shared purpose was palpable.
Iain: My highlight? Realising the astonishing range of talent of our participants, diverse but all pulling in one direction. Very much like our neighbourhood. It was a long day but one I wouldn't have missed.
Stories from Our Streets is available to view until late summer, at the upstairs Community Canvas space in Tramway, 25 Albert Drive. Open Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm.
Greater Govanhill CIC is a grassroots non-profit media organisation dedicated to making a positive change. This exhibition was made possible with the support of funding from the Glasgow City Heritage Trust with developing and scanning done by Gulabi film lab with additional support from Tramway.
