08 May 2024

Edinburgh College students capture success as their work is selected for international photography exhibition

A group of Edinburgh College creatives have had their work selected to go on display as part of a ground-breaking new international exhibition that provides an insight into the feelings around independence.

Photographs captured by ten Edinburgh College students from the School of Media, Music and Sound Production were chosen from hundreds of submissions to form part of the Head / Heart: Framing the Future: Photography from Wales, Scotland, and Catalonia exhibition, which is made up of a collection of 46 photographs from 35 photographers across the three nations.

Fifty-eight-year-old HNC Media and Communication student John Macmillan said: “It was very interesting as there was such a wide scope of images and themes that I had never considered or thought about. I felt honoured to have had a photo selected, as nothing like this has ever happened to me before.”

Photography by John Macmillan

Led by Núria Franco Guillénm and researchers at the University of Aberystwyth in Wales, the exhibition aims to offer visitors a rare insight into how people’s life experiences can impact on how they think and feel about the future of their own country.

Nineteen-year-old HNC Television and Film student Maria McAnumel said: “Having my photos being featured in the exhibit was initially a shock because I didn’t think mine were that good compared to my peers, but I’m really happy that Núria found enough beauty in my work to display it around the world.”

Photography by Maria McAnumel

Beginning in Caernarfon, Wales, before moving to the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff, the exhibition makes its way to Catalonia’s capital city, Barcelona this week as it goes on display at Lleialtat Santsenca on Thursday 9 May and will open to the public until Friday 31 May.

Edinburgh College Broadcast Media and Photography lecturer James Thomson, said: “The project created a safe place for learners to reflect and share their perspectives in a sensitive way. We often focus on moving images and for many, this was their first-time practicing photography. It’s an amazing achievement for everyone”.

The project is non-partisan and does not promote a particular position on independence.

Find out more about the exhibition taking place in Barcelona.