Proximity at Open Eye Gallery

Proximity at the Open Eye Gallery is an exhibition of photographs by Stephen McCoy, a local artist closely connected with the region of Merseyside and its people. He has spent 45 years living in the area and throughout that time, he has been capturing the places and residents through multiple photographic projects. 

The show features a selection of works from the major ones, spanning from 1979 to the present, including two recent, ongoing sets of work. Highlights include: River to River (1985 – 1990) which follows the coastline from the river Mersey in the South to the river Ribble in the North, capturing tourists in Southport alongside the docks at Seaforth; Demolition Sites (1981 – 1986), recording sites across Liverpool and Preston where demolition of industrial and domestic buildings took place, and Every House My Mother Lived In (2019 – present), where McCoy followed one family’s journey through nine different houses and flats – an intimate look at their experiences and memories throughout the years. You’ll also find slightly quirkier projects like Archaeology of a Carpet (2003) in which images of the layers inside a transparent vacuum cleaner cylinder act as a record of domestic environment activities, not unlike rock strata.

McCoy’s personal connection to his subject is clear to see, whether he is photographing housing estates in Ainsdale to communities in Skelmersdale, or the demolition sites in Liverpool. His tender approach is what gives the images their magic. The artist himself explains that his best work “shows a deep personal connection to the subject photographed, whether of people or place. A sense of place necessitates familiarity with an area; hence this exhibition is a distillation of a 45-year project, a continuing examination of my homeland, my Proximity.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a selection of book covers from the independent publisher Café Royal Books covers, where Stephen McCoy was featured 16 times with a host of projects throughout his career.