Photography by Kat Gollock, made in collaboration with Alycia Pirmohamed, Hannah Lavery, Jeda Pearl, Niall Moorjani and Shasta Hanif Ali.

Inspired and informed by the poets and their words, this piece is a visual response to the poetry and themes explored through the Disrupting the Narrative project.

At the core of this work are the many lives and stories that converse, interweave and overlap with each other, creating a more diverse history of this city than we are led to believe; a history that is far richer than static images on a wall, entries in an archive and objects behind glass in a museum.

Through conversations and time spent with the poets, I creatively documented parts of Edinburgh to gain a deeper understanding of the places that hold significance within the city and their contribution to the colonial foundations on which Edinburgh is built. My hope is that this work encourages people to move beyond the often myopic history we are told and taught, like it did for me.

To Alycia, Jeda, Hannah, Niall and Shasta, I am so grateful for all your time and collaboration on this project. I might have made the photos, but they very much came from you all. Thank you for helping me better understand the city in which I’ve spent most of my life.

Kat Gollock, November 2024
katgollock.com