Well, this is not quite rock ‘n’ roll, but I thought it was worth including a short entry to mark my visit to this interesting exhibition at my local museum. I was attracted to the exhibition by the invitation I received from the museum which explain that: ““Fixing Time” is a retrospective exhibition exploring 50 years of work by renowned British artist and photographer Ian Macdonald. … Macdonald boasts a rich and prolific career spanning five decades behind the lens. His photographic journey has been dedicated to documenting life, the evolution of working-class communities, and the rise and fall of industry in Teesside and Cleveland.”
“Distinctive in his approach, Macdonald developed a unique style using traditional black-and-white film and print-making techniques. This distinctive aesthetic not only reflects his artistic prowess but also signifies his growing confidence in employing photography as a tool to address the pressing issues observed and lived during that transformative era. The exhibition at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens spotlights key photographic series such as “Heavy Industry,” “Smith’s Dock Shipyard,” “Redcar Blast Furnace,” and “School Portraits.”
This sounded very interesting and relevant to my own background in Sunderland. So, Chris and I walked down to the museum on the appointed afternoon to see the exhibition. We waited in a short queue for Ian Macdonald to arrive and escort us around the exhibition, which consisted of a series of enlarged black-and-white photographs of shipyards, heavy industry in the north-east and industrial workers. Ian talked us through each photograph, explaining its relevance to him and his family. He clearly found this a highly emotional experience as he had to stop at various points and take a long breath before proceeding.
The short discussion of his photographs deepened my understanding of north-east heavy industry and of Ian’s photographic methods, centred upon black-and-white photography to deepen the authenticity of his images. No sooner had it started, the exhibition was over. I really enjoyed the experience and felt that I had gained a deep understanding of the man and his work. He kindly signed a copy of the book which accompanied the exhibition (see images; no other photography was allowed).
Many thanks to Elaine for getting my book signed, Chris for the photography and Jan for manipulating the site. Thanks to Wikimedia Commons for the photograph of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens Back to some real vintage rock next time.
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by TerriersFan on August 25, 2024 at 7:22 am
Most interesting, Peter. You almost certainly won’t be aware that I have connections to the Newcastle/Sunderland area through my Birtley-born wife. We still have family in the area and are due up to Jedburgh in the next few days for a sad occasion.
I’ve seen several gigs at City Hall and went to football at Roker. Wonderful part of the country!
Roger 🤘👍
Posted by vintagerock on August 25, 2024 at 10:58 am
So you are a Makem Roger? Peter
Posted by TerriersFan on August 25, 2024 at 11:00 am
No sorry, Peter, I’m a Yorkshireman born and bred. My wife is a Geordie who supported The Mackems simply to annoy her Toon Army brother! 😂
But I consider the northeast a second home.
Posted by vintagerock on August 25, 2024 at 11:07 am
Good man Roger 🙂 Peter
Posted by ciarant1step on September 3, 2024 at 3:50 pm
I’ve seen some of Ian McDonald’s photos on the web before – very moving, but must mean much more to someone from the area. Enjoy the book!
Posted by vintagerock on September 3, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Yes his work is quite evocative of the industrial North Peter