The first volume in a series dedicated to the photographic work of Peter Christopherson, co-founder of
Coil, documents his work in the working-class neighborhoods of Glasgow in the 1970s.
The Gorbals district of Glasgow in the 1970s was a place marked by poverty, unemployment and violence. However, despite the challenging conditions, a community of souls lived there as colourful
and vibrant as any across more affluent areas of the UK. In pubs, corner shops and bookies, the largely working-class population made the most of what they had. Indeed, life on the streets for young people often meant playing on demolition sites and waste ground, and in abandoned cars and factories.
It was against this backdrop that artist Peter Christopherson, co-founder of the highly influential band Coil, captured something of the spirit of the area and its people. In collaboration with the Citizens Theatre, itself no stranger to representing those on the fringes of society, his photographs document everyday life, not just as a struggle, but also as a celebration of it.
As the first volume in a series exploring Peter Christopherson's photographic work, this book, therefore, is both a necessary testament to his creative vision and a poignant record of a people and place, long since passed.
Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson (1955-2010), a key figure in industrial and experimental music, was an English musician, music video director, designer, and photographer. He was best known as a member of design agency Hipgnosis and a co-founder of the bands Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, and
Coil (along with
John Balance).
