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Selected Works by camara taylor with Image Descriptions





Flight, 2013/2024
Giclée print, Walnut Frame, 85x60cm


Gallery view, a corner in Soft Impressions at DCA Dundee. On the left, Flight, a framed colour photograph hangs on a white gallery wall. On the right, square, frosted window panes stretch from the floor-to-ceiling softly diffusing the light.


[Gallery view, a corner in the exhibition Soft Impressions at DCA Dundee. On the left, Flight, a framed colour photograph hangs on a white gallery wall. On the right, square, frosted window panes stretch from the floor-to-ceiling softly diffusing the light.]



A colour photograph in a walnut frame hung against a white gallery wall. In the photograph someone hovers, or dangles in front of a staircase. Only their lower legs and four steps are visible. They are wearing red, plaid pajamas that cast a shadow against the beige-brown carpeted steps. Their feet are bare and hang loosely, their brown toes casting a crisp black shadow against the stairs.

[A colour photograph in a walnut frame hung against a white gallery wall. In the photograph someone hovers, or dangles in front of a staircase. Only their lower legs and four steps are visible. They are wearing red, plaid pajamas that cast a shadow against the beige-brown carpeted steps. Their feet are bare and hang loosely, their brown toes casting a crisp black shadow against the stairs. ]




Untitled (Falls of Clyde, 1492, 1707- ), 2024
 Uncoated mild steel, Clear PVC Pipe, Clear Hose, Dark Caribbean Rum, Dirty Water Pump, Glass Tank, dimensions variable


Research & Design by Camara Taylor and Sharif Elsabagh, Steel Fabrication by Ella Appleton, Gemma Moncrieff and the Slaghammers feminist welding collective

Commissioned by Glasgow International with production and presentation support from Tramway.

In Untitled (Falls of Clyde, 1492, 1707-),  Caribbean dark rum falls and recirculates across a  steel sheet,  transformed as the exhibition progresses by rust and sugar deposits . Rum is deployed here both as, a drink whose popularity in Glasgow in the 18th and 19th centuries stemmed from the boom in Caribbean sugar cultivated through the labour of enslaved people; and as spirit that holds important role in certain Caribbean death and life rituals.

Through the work’s titling Taylor gestures towards the River Clyde as imperial waterway dredged and scoured to make way for trade ships and now marked by industrial decline.  It also draws on the 1801 Turner painting, ‘The Falls of Clyde’ and the series of waterfalls at New Lanark it depicts. This ‘natural wonder’ provided power to the model mill-town founded by industrialists David Dale and Richard Arkwright, and this work extends Taylor’s engagement with Romantic painters ellision or depiction of the landscape’s transformed by the new infrastructures of the early industrial era.

Below is documentation of the work presented as part of the solo exhibition, [mouthfeel], at Tramway in Glasgow, 2024.




Mounted to a white gallery wall is a 2 by 2 meter steel sheet with a shallow trough at its bottom. Dark rum cascades down the dark grey steel and flows down a clear pipe which connects to a glass tank on the gallery’s concrete floor. In the tank, a red pump pushes the rum out through a tube that runs along the right side of the metal sheet and skirts its top edge where the rum is released to begin the cycle again.

[Mounted to a white gallery wall is a 2 by 2 meter steel sheet with a shallow trough at its bottom. Dark rum cascades down the dark grey steel and flows down a clear pipe which connects to a glass tank on the gallery’s concrete floor. In the tank, a red pump pushes the rum out through a tube that runs along the right side of the metal sheet and skirts its top edge where the rum is released to begin the cycle again.]




A close-up of rum cascading down the metal sheet taken from a slight angle. The rum falls in evenly spaced streams, only the central streams are in focus. The sugary alcohol falls in patterns that resemble thick sticky tides that cling to the steel's surface.

[A close-up of rum cascading down the metal sheet taken from a slight angle. The rum falls in evenly spaced streams, only the central streams are in focus. The sugary alcohol falls in patterns that resemble thick sticky tides that cling to the steel's surface. ]




A glass tank (40cm by 35cm by 80cm) on a dark concrete floor with curving tram tracks. Molasses brown rum that looks almost black fills the bottom third. Light foam ripples across the rum’s surface as a pipe feeds more into the tank. A bright red water pump is partially submerged and connected to a hose that pushes the brown liquid back out. In areas the glass is foggy with condensation.

[A glass tank (40cm by 35cm by 80cm) on a dark concrete floor with curving tram tracks. Molasses brown rum that looks almost black fills the bottom third. Light foam ripples across the rum’s surface as a pipe feeds more into the tank. A bright red water pump is partially submerged and connected to a hose that pushes the brown liquid back out. In areas the glass is foggy with condensation.]




A close up of the tank through its fogged glass. Rum pours in creating whitish-yellow froth that ripples across the dark almost black liquid.

[A close up of the tank through its fogged glass. Rum pours in creating whitish-yellow froth that ripples across the dark almost black liquid.]


Photos by Matthew Arthur Williams




Documenation of Untitled (Falls of Clyde, 1492, 1707- ) after 3 months.





Close up of the steel sheet.The recirculating rum has created thick streaks of reddish-brown rust and thick sugary deposits on the steel’s surface.

[Close up of the steel sheet.The recirculating rum has created thick streaks of reddish-brown rust and thick sugary deposits on the steel’s surface. ]




Close up of the trough at the bottom of the steel sheet, with the pipe and hose also in view. Over time the rum has become a light muddy orange-brown as it mixes with rust created over the course of its running across the steel.

[Close up of the trough at the bottom of the steel sheet, with the pipe and hose also in view. Over time the rum has become a light muddy orange-brown as it mixes with rust created over the course of its running across the steel. ]




An aerial view of the pipe feeding rum into the glass tank. The rum has become a light muddy orange-brown as it mixes with rust created over the course of its running across the steel.

[An aerial view of the pipe feeding rum into the glass tank. The rum has become a light muddy orange-brown as it mixes with rust created over the course of its running across the steel. ]




A glass tank (40cm by 35cm by 80cm) on a dark concrete floor with curving tram tracks. Muddy orange-brown liquid fills the bottom third and moves through the pipes and hose connected to the tank. Layers of rusty sediment stain the tank's sides.

[A glass tank (40cm by 35cm by 80cm) on a dark concrete floor with curving tram tracks. Muddy orange-brown liquid fills the bottom third and moves through the pipes and hose connected to the tank. Layers of rusty sediment stain the tank's sides. ]


Photos by Camara Taylor



 

Untitled (falls, fools & fails, 1820, 2024), 2024

Three uncoated mild steel lecterns, inkjet prints, silver gelatin print,  dimensions variable



Lecturns fabricated by Marie, Amelia, Julianna Laird and Evangeline Baldwin of the Slaghammers feminist welding collective

Commissioned by Glasgow International with production and presentation support from Tramway.

Below is documentation of the work presented as part of the solo exhibition, [mouthfeel], at Tramway in 2024.
 



Two steel lecterns cut diagonally across the gallery. Each one has a rectangular base, a pair of legs and a slanted book stand on the top with a shelf edge. In the foreground, a lectern is small and overturned, resting against the concrete floor with several documents placed on its stand. In the background, the lectern is a traditional height but has legs that bend inwards, like knees knocking together. Fixed high in the corner of the white gallery is a small speaker.

[Two steel lecterns cut diagonally across the gallery. Each one has a rectangular base, a pair of legs and a slanted book stand on the top with a shelf edge. In the foreground, a lectern is small and overturned, resting against the concrete floor with several documents placed on its stand. In the background, the lectern is a traditional height but has legs that bend inwards, like knees knocking together. Fixed high in the corner of the white gallery is a small speaker. ]




A steel lectern that is too small, as if it’s been compressed. It’s overturned lying on the concrete floor. You’d need to crouch or lie down to read from it. The lectern holds two white paper documents and 2 photographs. Printed text is sparsely dispersed across the papers. A black and white 5inch by 7inch photo sits in front of the papers. A silhouetted hand stretching out beneath clouds. A very small postcard is stuck directly to the steel lectern with a torn post-it. suited men swear with their fingers spread into a V sign.

[ A steel lectern that is too small, as if it’s been compressed. It’s overturned lying on the concrete floor. You’d need to crouch or lie down to read from it. The lectern holds two white paper documents and 2 photographs. Printed text is sparsely dispersed across the papers. A black and white 5inch by 7inch photo sits in front of the papers. A silhouetted hand stretching out beneath clouds. A very small postcard is stuck directly to the steel lectern with a torn post-it. suited men swear with their fingers spread into a V sign. ]




A steel lectern with two tubular legs that bend inwards like knees knocking together, before flaring outward again connecting to the slanted book stand. The lectern is a dark grey steel except where the legs have been bent. This section is a shiny silver where the steel was sanded after cutting, bending and welding.

[A steel lectern with two tubular legs that bend inwards like knees knocking together, before flaring outward again connecting to the slanted book stand. The lectern is a dark grey steel except where the legs have been bent. This section is a shiny silver where the steel was sanded after cutting, bending and welding. ]




Close-up showing the top of a steel lectern. It has two tubular legs and a slanted book stand. The lectern is a dark dull grey, except the left leg which is a shiny silver. The left leg pierces through the stand. A thin ring of rust sits on the surface circling the tubular protrusion. Nestled around the inside of this leg is a piece of paper printed with multiple lines of the same phrase. From this angle, the words ‘witnesses against’ repeat.

[ Close-up showing the top of a steel lectern. It has two tubular legs and a slanted book stand. The lectern is a dark dull grey, except the left leg which is a shiny silver. The left leg pierces through the stand. A thin ring of rust sits on the surface circling the tubular protrusion. Nestled around the inside of this leg is a piece of paper printed with multiple lines of the same phrase. From this angle, the words ‘witnesses against’ repeat. ]




Close up of a steel lectern. A tubular leg pierces the surface of the book stand. Nestled around the inside of the leg is a piece of paper printed with multiple lines of the same phrase. From this angle, the visible words are ‘swarms of false’.

[Close up of a steel lectern. A tubular leg pierces the surface of the book stand. Nestled around the inside of the leg is a piece of paper printed with multiple lines of the same phrase. From this angle, the visible words are ‘swarms of false’. ]




A white walled gallery with floor to ceiling windows that look onto a car lined street. Standing on the concrete in front of the window is an absurdly tall steel lectern rising to over 1.5 meters. The lectern is dark grey with a slanted book stand which is held up by two tubular legs that descend in parallel lines to a rectangular base. The lectern is facing the window so we can’t see what it holds.

[A white walled gallery with floor to ceiling windows that look onto a car lined street. Standing on the concrete in front of the window is an absurdly tall steel lectern rising to over 1.5 meters. The lectern is dark grey with a slanted book stand which is held up by two tubular legs that descend in parallel lines to a rectangular base. The lectern is facing the window so we can’t see what it holds.]




Close up of a tall steel lectern. Two A4 documents arranged side by side on a slanted steel stand. On the left, a black and white scan of a photograph. Three black children are standing in the middle of the street lined with tenements and rubble. Inky smudges distort parts of the image. On the right, printed text attempts to describe the photograph. The page has handwritten annotations and redactions in thick black felt tip.

[Close up of a tall steel lectern. Two A4 documents arranged side by side on a slanted steel stand. On the left, a black and white scan of a photograph. Three black children are standing in the middle of the street lined with tenements and rubble. Inky smudges distort parts of the image. On the right, printed text attempts to describe the photograph. The page has handwritten annotations and redactions in thick black felt tip.]




Close crop of scanned black and white photograph. Three black children stand in the middle of the street, behind them are large piles of rubble. Left child is standing stiffly and can only be seen from the mouth down. Middle child is the smallest and is holding a large satchel. Right child stands casually with a slight lean. Veiny metallic blotches distort parts of the photo, it appears as if the ink is eroding where the children stand

[Close crop of scanned black and white photograph. Three black children stand in the middle of the street, behind them are large piles of rubble. Left child is standing stiffly and can only be seen from the mouth down. Middle child is the smallest and is holding a large satchel. Right child stands casually with a slight lean. Veiny metallic blotches distort parts of the photo, it appears as if the ink is eroding where the children stand.]


Photographs by Camara Taylor



axe laid root, diptych, 2024

Blackbrown iridescent glass, digital print, ink, 30x40cm


Below is documentation of the work presented as part of the group exhibition, Soft Impressions, at DCA Dundee in 2024.


Sunlight casts a soft rectangular shadow on a white gallery wall. Hanging on the wall is a photographic diptych. On the right a black and white photograph of two people standing side-by-side. The image is tightly cropped,from their shoulders to their hips. They both grip the same object,one arm close to the other’s but never touching. On the left is the same image flipped so that they mirror each other. Each print is covered by a sheet of multi-coloured glass. Opaque brown streaks across translucent iridescence, obscuring parts of the images.

[Sunlight casts a soft rectangular shadow on a white gallery wall. Hanging on the wall is a photographic diptych. On the right a black and white photograph of two people standing side-by-side. The image is tightly cropped,from their shoulders to their hips. They both grip the same object,one arm close to the other’s but never touching. On the left is the same image flipped so that they mirror each other. Each print is covered by a sheet of multi-coloured glass. Opaque brown streaks across translucent iridescence, obscuring parts of the images.]



Close up of axe laid root. Iridescent glass with rich brown streaks shimmers on top of a blurred image of two arms almost touching.

[Close up of axe laid root. Iridescent glass with rich brown streaks shimmers on top of a blurred image of two arms almost touching.]




Close up of axe laid root. Handwritten scrawls in white ink are visible on the back of the brown and iridescent glass. The text is reversed and so illegible.

[Close up of axe laid root. Handwritten scrawls in white ink are visible on the back of the brown and iridescent glass. The text is reversed and so illegible.]






Untitled (Melo’s fists, 2014),  2024
Giclee Print, Coloured Glass, Blackened oak frame, 81x55cm



Installation view of Melo’s Fists. A photograph framed in a thin oak frame behind clear and brown streaky glass hung. The photograph is a screenshot from a documentary, rephotographed on 35mm film. A black man is outside at night wearing a thick grey winter jacket and a stripey purple scarf. His face is partially obscured, only viewed from below his mouth and nose. The focus is his fists, clenched and raised in front of his chest, his body angled in a defensive stance.

[Installation view of Melo’s Fists. A photograph framed in a thin oak frame behind clear and brown streaky glass hung. The photograph is a screenshot from a documentary, rephotographed on 35mm film. A black man is outside at night wearing a thick grey winter jacket and a stripey purple scarf. His face is partially obscured, only viewed from below his mouth and nose. The focus is his fists, clenched and raised in front of his chest, his body angled in a defensive stance.]




Close up of Melo’s Fists. The brown streaky glass casts shimmering tones and speckled shadows across clenched fists.

[Close up of Melo’s Fists. The brown streaky glass casts shimmering tones and speckled shadows across clenched fists.] 



Untitled (Paul’s Hands, 1930), 2024
Giclee Print, Coloured Glass, Blackened oak frame,  81x55cm



Installation view of Paul’s Hand. A colour photograph framed in a thin blackened oak frame behind clear and brown streaky glass. The browns appear as inky wisps, creating patterns that resemble curls of smoke. The frame is 81cm by 55cm in total but the image itself only takes up a fraction of this space and is set close to the centre left edge. It’s an extreme closeup of Paul Robeson's face captured in stark black and white. His face is covered by his hand, palm facing us in a gesture of refusal that leaves only his ears and forehead exposed.

[Installation view of Paul’s Hand. A colour photograph framed in a thin blackened oak frame behind clear and brown streaky glass. The browns appear as inky wisps, creating patterns that resemble curls of smoke. The frame is 81cm by 55cm in total but the image itself only takes up a fraction of this space and is set close to the centre left edge. It’s an extreme closeup of Paul Robeson's face captured in stark black and white. His face is covered by his hand, palm facing us in a gesture of refusal that leaves only his ears and forehead exposed.]


Both works commissioned by Glasgow International 2024
Photography by Matthew Arthur Williams


installation view, Soft Impressions, DCA Dundee, 2024


Two framed photographs, Paul’s Hand and Melo’s Fists are hung on a white gallery wall. Paul’s Hand is to the right and hung high, Melo’s Fists are to the left and hung low. Both frames are 81cm by 55cm.

[Two framed photographs, Paul’s Hand and Melo’s Fists are hung on a white gallery wall. Paul’s Hand is to the right and hung high, Melo’s Fists are to the left and hung low. Both frames are 81cm by 55cm.]




Untitled (blue re/decomposition 2015, 2022), 2022
Submerged Kodak Metallic Print, Acrylic Tray,  Hand Painted Oak Frame, Wray & Nephews Rum, scottish water, 82x46cm




A large framed photograph on a light grey gallery floor. The photograph is of gentle waves in the Caribbean sea. The frame is oak painted dark blue to match the sea. There is no glass and instead the frame is filled with clear white rum. The submerged photograph seems partially pixelated or glitchy and has a metallic sheen. Dark blues are interrupted by glints of bright white, as the sea reflects the sunlight.

[A large framed photograph on a light grey gallery floor. The photograph is of gentle waves in the Caribbean sea. The frame is oak painted dark blue to match the sea. There is no glass and instead the frame is filled with clear white rum. The submerged photograph seems partially pixelated or glitchy and has a metallic sheen. Dark blues are interrupted by glints of bright white, as the sea reflects the sunlight.]




The same work photographed after 3 weeks. A large framed photograph on a light grey gallery floor. The frame is oak painted a dark blue. There is no glass and instead the frame is filled with clear white rum. Over time the submerged photograph as transformed. Rum has eaten through and lifted the ink, revealing white paper. Some hues of black and grey remain fixed to the paper, whilst murky red ink swirls above and pools in corners.

[The same work photographed after 3 weeks. A large framed photograph on a light grey gallery floor. The frame is oak painted a dark blue. There is no glass and instead the frame is filled with clear white rum. Over time the submerged photograph as transformed. Rum has eaten through and lifted the ink, revealing white paper. Some hues of black and grey remain fixed to the paper, whilst murky red ink swirls above and pools in corners.]


Photographs by Tom Nolan




Untitled (re/decomposition 4, 1871, 2021, 2022), 2022
Silver Gelatin Print; Blackened Oak Frame, 116 x 80cm



A large black and white photograph in a blackened oak frame is hung on a white gallery wall. The photograph is of a print that has been covered in dark mould creating an abstract and blotchy constellation.

[A large black and white photograph in a blackened oak frame is hung on a white gallery wall. The photograph is of a print that has been covered in dark mould creating an abstract and blotchy constellation.]


Photographs by Tom Nolan




witness, 2022
Digital collage, Lightbox, 120x173cm


installation view, When Bodies Whisper, Timespan, Helmsdale, 2022




Corner view of a gallery foyer. The right wall is white with a large opening that leads to a gallery exhibition. The left wall is a midnight blue and has a large picture window. Left of this window is witness, a large light box. It illuminates a digital collage. Bright pink text overlays Robert Duncanson’s 1871 oil painting, ‘A Scottish Landscape’. The painting uses warm colours to depict a ‘romantic wilderness’ with a river, rich vegetation and mountains in the distance. The pink text reads: “ there is not single witness has ever said that I said anything”.

[Corner view of a gallery foyer. The right wall is white with a large opening that leads to a gallery exhibition. The left wall is a midnight blue and has a large picture window. Left of this window is witness, a large light box. It illuminates a digital collage. Bright pink text overlays Robert Duncanson’s 1871 oil painting, ‘A Scottish Landscape’. The painting uses warm colours to depict a ‘romantic wilderness’ with a river, rich vegetation and mountains in the distance. The pink text reads: “ there is not single witness has ever said that I said anything”. ]




witness, a large digital collage in a light box hangs on a midnight blue gallery wall. The work is in the far left corner of the wall where it meets a narrow white partition wall. Beyond the partition is a wall of wooden shelving full of books. Spotlit above the shelving, large vinyl text reads “ARCHIVE”.

[witness, a large digital collage in a light box hangs on a midnight blue gallery wall. The work is in the far left corner of the wall where it meets a narrow white partition wall. Beyond the partition is a wall of wooden shelving full of books. Spotlit above the shelving, large vinyl text reads “ARCHIVE”. ]





noodles who rave for abolition, 2020
Engraved polished brass zippo lighter



A polished brass zippo lighter affixed to white card. Engraved cursive writing reads: ‘Noodles who rave for abolition'

[A polished brass zippo lighter affixed to white card. Engraved cursive writing reads: ‘Noodles who rave for abolition’]