Click here for images

Malcolm Glover will be giving a guided tour of the exhibition on Saturday 31st March, please call the gallery to book a space. Tickets £3 © Malcolm Glover The Independent Photographers Gallery is proud to present a series of Malcolm Glover's 'Timescapes' and new work "Hidden Gems" from his Allotment series. Malcolm Glover was born in Crawley,1955, and is currently based in St Leonards. He studied photography firstly at Newport where he obtained a Diploma in Documentary Photography, before going onto achieve an MA at The Royal College of Art in 1991. Glover's work has been exhibited widely around the UK. His first show: 'Llyn Peninsular' (1984) was a study of rural life and was toured throughout Wales. Glover then went on to become photographer in residence at Rochdale Art Gallery, the work he produced here took a humorous look at the people who visited health farms, and he was shortlisted for an ICI Foxtalbot Award. This work was subsequently exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery and was also bought by the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford. Glover moved on to become artist in residence at the Foley Gallery in Lancaster. It was at this point that he developed the 'timescapes', which now form the main body of his work. These panoramic images - some up to 30ft in length - are a form of static tracking shots, giving the impression of a cinematic experience. Those taken from daylight into darkness show the light progressing and receding through the print. Traditionally the photographic image has trapped the viewer in one perspective and one moment of time - Glover's work attempts to remove these restrictions. 'Hidden Gems' is predominantly a series of portraits taken of Allotment Holders relating to, or simply relaxing on their beloved plots! Hailing from a commission Glover did for the Arts Development Team of Slough Borough Council, 2006, the aim of the work is twofold: it shows the beneficial aspects of allotments, plus the reason why people want to have them. In general Glover's images capture the essence of allotment tenancy (a practice which has ancient roots in this country) whilst responding to the particular circumstances faced by the residents of Slough. Located close to the main artery leading into Heathrow (the M4), as well as sitting under the airport's main flight path, Slough's 13 allotment sites have been described as 'hidden gems'. And they are all the more precious for providing a welcome respite for the residents and wildlife co-existing with the noxious fall-out of modern technology. Historically allotments have offered community, diversity, competition and the search for natural purity, Glover also discovers the quirkier moments amongst those individuals gravitating towards the need for nature and nurture: whether it be their produce or themselves. This is the first time this work has been exhibited. The selection of timescapes featuring in the IPG exhibition will include Glover's first publicly acclaimed work: 'Brixton Lido' for which he won Year of the Arts award. This image was shot over a six hour period revealing certain repetitive behaviour patterns that takes place in public swimming pools. 'Beadlemead Street' in Milton Keynes is part of an ongoing project in which Glover sets out to portray a cross-section of British life by capturing daily rituals and events of suburban living. Here, each house was photographed at 45 minute intervals between 9am and 7pm. The individual shots were then "knitted together" to recreate hidden moments from the entire street on an average day; the same theme is repeated in a street in St Leonards-on Sea. The unusual length of these works allows the viewer to interact with the setting as they 'walk the measure of its pavements'. Malcolm Glover will be giving a guided tour of the exhibition on Saturday 31st March, please call the gallery to book a space. Tickets £3

Click thumbnails below to view large image

Shotton Station

Brixton Lido

Beadlemead


St Leonards