GLASGOW.- Street Level Photoworks is presenting An Ordinary Eden, a new solo exhibition by Margaret Mitchell which explores the importance of home and belonging. Through photographing multiple individuals who have experienced previous or current homelessness, the work reflects on both the emotional and practical consequences of being without a permanent home.

Mitchell embarked on An Ordinary Eden in 2019 to explore people’s sense of place and attachments when living precariously. This new body of work includes individuals across Scotland who have – in the past or present – experienced periods of homelessness and the consequences for their practical and emotional wellbeing. At the heart of this work is the assertion that we all need to belong, to have safety and stability, to have roots and meaningful connections with others. Lives limited by circumstance often do not allow that to happen, resulting in life journeys neither chosen nor wanted.

The premise of Mitchell’s work is to ask a question at the start of a project and see if it is answered by its end. In this work, she concludes that whilst seeking patterns or causes is essential, the more pressing consideration is how society responds to those who live precarious existences and if the current systems in society are timely and compassionate. The portraits not only reflect upon the personal story of those photographed, but on the wider questions about the kind of society we want to create.
For this project, the artist worked with individuals and organisations across Scotland including Shelter Scotland and received support from Creative Scotland for the development of the work. The exhibition has been produced by Street Level Photoworks and is comprised of 36 new photographic works made between 2019 and 2023.

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Mitchell says: “The thread that runs through each individual experience is the need for safety and security that accompanies a need to belong, to lay roots and re-establish lives. Whilst the work concerns ideas around ‘home’, wider social issues are raised alongside the very human need for connection. It is fundamentally a project asking how we can do better as a society to support people.”

Key Messages

The new exhibition by photographer Margaret Mitchell explores the importance of housing, home and belonging and reflects on both the emotional and practical consequences of being without a permanent home.

Margaret Mitchell is an award-winning photographer based in Glasgow. For this project, she worked with individuals and organisations across Scotland including Shelter Scotland, supported by Creative Scotland.

Bio

Margaret Mitchell is an award-winning photographer based in Glasgow. Her work ranges from exploring communities and children’s worlds through to long-term projects on social inequality. Bridging the psychological and the social, her work explores the intricacies and complexities of people’s lives with a particular emphasis on place and belonging. She has exhibited widely including at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh (2017 & 2022) and at the National Portrait Gallery, London as part of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize (2014 & 2022). As a consequence of exhibiting ‘In This Place’ as part of ‘AMBIT - Photographies from Scotland’ at Street Level Photoworks in 2017, her work was acquired for the permanent collections of the National Galleries of Scotland and she also has work in the collection of the Martin Parr Foundation. Her book ‘Passage’ (Bluecoat Press, 2021) reflects on a cycle of inequality, asking questions on the nature of disadvantage and privilege in a study over three generations. Recognition includes the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award (2022: Honourable Mention), the Sony World Photography Awards (2018, Contemporary Issues, 2nd) and the Royal Photographic Society IPE (2017, 1st). She works both on personal projects and commissions and work has been featured in the Guardian, De Correspondent, and the New Statesman amongst others.