The O3 Gallery is proud to present a series of stunning photographic images by Oxfordshire photographer Roddy McColl. The exhibition entitled Port Meadow: A Year in Photographs captures the many changes seen in this beautiful setting across a year. A selection of the images presented in this show have been exhibited at the Cherwell Boathouse earlier in 2008 and were described as “….moodily atmospheric…” by The Sunday Telegraph.
‘Port Meadow is an incredibly exciting place for a photographer; the broad open space heightens appreciation of the subtle changes in landscape, not only through the seasons, but on a daily basis and in a way unrecognised in the city. Many landscape photographers make a special effort to exclude any sign of human activity, purely focusing on the ‘unspoilt’ beauty of a scene. This series of work was produced from a yearlong study that set out to capture not just the visual attractiveness of Port Meadow but how we physically and emotionally interact with it. By building a strong intimacy with its character and changing moods, I have been able to create strong visual impressions that talk to the viewer’s emotions more than their intellect – invoking subtle responses more usually associated with other forms of visual media rather than conventional photography.’ Roddy McColl, 2008.
Roddy McColl was born in Glasgow in 1971 and spent much of his youth exploring, climbing and skiing in the mountains of his native Scotland. He began his artistic studies at school and quickly discovering a passion for photography, went on to first working as a clinical photographer and now heading up The John Radcliffe’s medical illustration unit. His real love is landscape photography and he has accumulated an impressive back catalogue from his travels since graduating. Port Meadow is McColl’s first series created specifically for exhibition.
‘Port Meadow is an incredibly exciting place for a photographer; the broad open space heightens appreciation of the subtle changes in landscape, not only through the seasons, but on a daily basis and in a way unrecognised in the city. Many landscape photographers make a special effort to exclude any sign of human activity, purely focusing on the ‘unspoilt’ beauty of a scene. This series of work was produced from a yearlong study that set out to capture not just the visual attractiveness of Port Meadow but how we physically and emotionally interact with it. By building a strong intimacy with its character and changing moods, I have been able to create strong visual impressions that talk to the viewer’s emotions more than their intellect – invoking subtle responses more usually associated with other forms of visual media rather than conventional photography.’ Roddy McColl, 2008.
Roddy McColl was born in Glasgow in 1971 and spent much of his youth exploring, climbing and skiing in the mountains of his native Scotland. He began his artistic studies at school and quickly discovering a passion for photography, went on to first working as a clinical photographer and now heading up The John Radcliffe’s medical illustration unit. His real love is landscape photography and he has accumulated an impressive back catalogue from his travels since graduating. Port Meadow is McColl’s first series created specifically for exhibition.