In May 2024, Document Scotland sailed off to deliver our latest project, Show Us Jura.
A two-hour ferry journey from Kennacraig in Argyll, the Isle of Jura is renowned for its incredible scenery, which includes the iconic Paps, whisky and as the place where George Orwell penned his novel 1984, exactly 75 years ago. There are around 5,500 deer roaming this large, sparsely-populated island, whose human headcount numbers around 200 permanent residents.
Show Us Jura involved a number of activities with members of the local community, who we invited to make short photo stories about their lives on the Inner Hebridean island. Over the course of five days, we supported and guided around 25 individuals and the resulting visual essays helped build a picture of life on Jura at this time. Margaret also engaged with pupils at the Small Isles school running workshops for all the pupils.
In addition to the work made by islanders, our photographers were able to make their own work, engaging with local people and businesses during our visit. Each member of Document Scotland will showcase the work they made on our website over the next couple of months. In the meantime, we are delighted to be able to present a small selection of images taken by participants during Show Us Jura. The people and their projects were as follows:
A Day With the Donkeys – Abby Beastall. A heartfelt family story about Abby and her donkeys which she keeps on the island.
Refurbishing Old Furniture – Alex Dunnachie. A fascinating visual exploration of a practical hobby close to the heart.
Scallop Diving – Angelina Rozga. Our youngest participant took to the ocean waves to show us how her family harvested a local delicacy.
Spaces Left Behind – Catherine McCallum. A personal journey which involved a trekk to a remote bothy to uncover the secrets of the past.
The Boat Launch – Denise Rozga. The sea and the community’s relationship with it plays a pivotal part in island life, as communicated in this series.
The View from the Rock – Derek Trowell. A year spent observing the view from a fixed point next to the photographer’s home gave us a kaleidoscopic impression of the changing seasons.
A Wee Wander – Gemma MacLean. A daily routine examined using a camera reveals hidden places and favourite spots on the the island.
Raymond the Goat – Jan North. Not all the characters on the island are human, as documented by this series which tells the story of Raymond and his new home on Goat Island, adjacent to Craighouse.
Knockrome: Past and Present – Maggie Boyle. Inspired by her sister to get involved, this story looked at life close to home and compared the difference between an historical image taken by Robert Moyes Adam and what Knockrome looks like today.
Mary’s View – Mary Ferguson. This very personal series was from the perspecive of someone who has been largely confined to her house for more than 20 years. The project offered Mary the opportunity to contribute and be involved in the process.
Training for the Jura Fell Race – Neil Gow. Preparing for the annual endurance test was the focus of this series which took us to some of the most remote parts of the island.
Morning Dog Walk – Sheena Gow. The ritual of the daily dog walk offered the opportunity to document an everyday experience from a personal viewpoint.
A Journey to Jura – Simon Timewell and Angie Greenhill. This story used photographs taken over a long period of time illustrating how a couple came to settle on Jura and integrate into the community.
Walking on Jura – Willie Mack. This series decoded the power of walking as a therapy by exploring the places and people encountered on a daily basis.
Views from Knockrome – Yvonne Macdonald. The natural beauty of this corner of the island was chronicled showing off stunning landscapes, rainbows and and everyday comings-and-goings close to home.
Each series contained around 10-15 photographs and have been edited together as a PDF. If you are interested in seeing the complete stories, lease get in touch and we’ll send them to you.
We summarise our experiences in the short film (below), which gives a flavour of the project and how it was delivered. We were delighted with the response we got from islanders who came to our closing evening Salon event, at which we were able to show the stories made and discuss some of the ideas behind the work.
Document Scotland is extremely grateful to have received funding from Creative Scotland for the project and we would also like to thank Street Level Photoworks, Snowdrop Argyll and Dochas for their practical and logistical support. Working with latter two organisations allowed us to engage with individuals on Jura who have barriers to participating in Arts activities. We strive to be as inclusive as possible and were delighted that these partnerships were successful. Lastly, thank you to everyone who took part in Show Us Jura and we hope the islanders’ obvious interest in documentary photography continues.
