Margaret Mitchell interviews Stuart Edwards

Margaret recently caught up with Stuart Edwards to discuss his ongoing work Barras Market, along with his motivations and reflections on pursuing a long-term project that evokes nostalgia while highlighting the importance of community and stability of everyday routines.

©Stuart Edwards // Barras Market

MM: Your project ‘Barras Market’ has been ongoing for quite some time now. Can you give some background information as to what drew you to concentrate on this work over many years?

SE: Ever since my first visit to the Barras Market, I knew it was a special place. I instantly loved the community and the characters who worked and visited there. The older generation of traders reminded me a lot of my grandparents from East Kilbride and the kind of banter they would have with each other. They grew up in Glasgow and often went to the Barras in their youth. So, in a way, the market feels like an extension of them, which gives it a homely feeling. Having visited and worked there for so long, it always feels comforting to spend a few hours walking around the market and chatting with the regulars whenever I have a free day.

MM: Do you think that allowing the project to develop over time has changed it, for example your personal approach or relationships with those you encounter?

SE: I think doing a project over many years is really rewarding because your perspective changes as you grow. What I love about spending so much time at the Barras is becoming familiar with the place and the people. Initially, I was more focused on taking pictures, but as the years have passed, it has become less about the project or the photography and more about just hanging out. Often, I don’t take any pictures when I go now, which doesn’t bother me. Frequently visiting a place I enjoy makes photography just a by-product of the experience, which is important to me.

©Stuart Edwards // Barras Market

MM: Looking at the work gives a sense of nostalgia for what must have been the glory days of the market. It also conveys the lives that are still there, the everyday for these individuals, a time and a place that may not be here much longer. Did you find this quality important to document, and has it changed much in the years you have been involved?

SE: From my first visit, I could tell that the older community at the market was dwindling and that it was on the brink of fading away. That made me want to capture the place and the people as much as possible to pay tribute to them. For years, the market felt like a museum of what it used to be in its bustling heyday from the 1950s to the 1980s. People would always tell me, “This place isn’t what it used to be,” or share stories about their youth at the market. Since I started documenting the place in late 2014, many older traders have retired or sadly passed away. The market feels like a safe space for people wanting to return to a place that is familiar and where they spent their youth. In that sense, it’s a bit of a time capsule. 

MM: You are a filmmaker and photographer; do you find that each discipline feeds into the other? Did you originally start with moving or still images for the Barras project?

SE: The disciplines definitely feed into each other. I focus mainly on documentary filmmaking and photography, and there are always crossovers. With the Barras project, I started by filming there first, trying to make a short documentary about the place with a friend, which will hopefully be released one day. It was a great way to get acquainted with the Barras and all the traders because when you film somewhere, you really need to commit to it and get the people’s permission. That directness means you have to engage with people and let them know your intentions. I think that side of filmmaking is great to incorporate into photography because it helps build trust with the people you are capturing.

©Stuart Edwards // Barras Market

MM: There seems to be a gentle balance between the people who work in the Barras and those who visit for purchases or browsing. Have you found yourself photographing certain individuals more than others and with each visit another layer of them is revealed?

SE: I’ve definitely grown closer to some people in the market over the years. Like any regular visitor, I have a few folks I always stop in to say hello to, gradually getting to know them better. Usually, when I go to the market to photograph, I feel the need to break out of my daily routine and reset a bit. So, going there to chat with folks, but mainly just listening to people, I’ve heard so many great stories throughout the years each time, I usually learn a little more about each person’s life.

MM: In the wider work, you have shown different elements of children’s presence – from helping on a stall to passing visitors, as well as a young boy in a state of reverie propped against a wall. Was photographing this younger presence something you set out to show? If not, how do you feel it now adds to the project?

SE: Yes, the youthful presence in the series was a bit of a happy accident. Although my focus has mainly been on the older community, occasionally traders and customers bring their grandchildren, who either help at the stall or play in the market streets. Many of these people have shared stories of visiting or working in the market as children in the 1940s and 50s. Including the younger presence, in a way, mirrors how the older generation spent their youth in the Barras, showing it as a place passed down through generations. The Barras feels quite hopeful and joyful to me. While people go there to make a living, it also seems like a place where people of all ages come to ‘play’ in their own way, whether that’s children playing in a literal sense or traders and customers bantering with each other.

©Stuart Edwards // Barras Market

MM: It’s so interesting that you often visit simply to ‘hang out,’ and this ties into knowing the people and the place so well. Do you ever see an endpoint for this work, or do you think it will continue indefinitely?

SE: I’ve tried to think about an endpoint in the past, but now visiting the market feels like part of my life, something I’ll probably do indefinitely as long as I enjoy going there and meeting people so I’ll keep doing it in some form. Long-term projects can branch out in different directions, so I’m happy to continue it organically and keep enjoying it.

MM: You’ve included some of the Barras work in a book on Glasgow before, do you have any plans for exhibition or a standalone book project in future?

SE: I have plans to release a couple of Barras photo books from two separate photo series—one black and white and the other a colour series—both showing different sides of the market. In terms of exhibitions, I don’t have any plans as yet, but it would be nice to see all the images in a physical space at some point. Generally, though, I find it quite hard to consider the project definitively finished when it’s featured in a book or exhibition, as it’s still something I enjoy gradually working on.

MM: Lastly, can you tell us about one image from the project that you especially hold dear and the reason for that? 

SE: There are lots of photographs I’ve taken that mean a lot to me. This portrait of the market janitor John smiling is very special. John had worked at the Barras for decades and was a very popular character in the market. He was always cheery and would speak to everyone. He could be spotted from a mile away as he always wore his infamous red overalls. I got to know him very well over the years, and every time I saw him, I’d say, “John, how are you doing?” And he’d always reply without fail, “Better when I see you.” This picture was taken after he had retired and was visiting the market, seeing all his old chums. After taking this picture, I sent him a little book of all the pictures I had taken of him over the years, which he really liked. Sadly, John passed away in December 2023 at the age of 86. This picture is always a nice reminder of his character and joyful spirit.