About

The New Website

In my natural state I generally prefer to stay fairly invisible but I keep being told - sometimes, even by the soft thing in my head - that I should be useful or perhaps, more useful. I have no expectations of succeeding in that sense with this site because I always find it hard to imagine anyone else finding the things I do as being of any interest. Of course I tend to forget previous occasions of grand usefulness but my old website was rarely anything other than a shambles of a photography portfolio; which I’ve had the urge to tear down for a long time (and mostly have currently). There was a period of experimenting with bits of web technology that helped a few other people so I’m hoping this will be a return to that - not necessarily web tech - but more playing, doodling and describing the process. There might also be the odd photograph and other art for its own sake. In a few years, if things go as expected, it will be another sprawling mess that I’m desperate to destroy.

For the moment I’m ignoring the imaginary advice of my non-existent life-coach to concentrate on one thing. Sorry coach, I’m interested in lots of things and I’m not about to build a website for each of them.

If you find anything useful here please get in touch.

Gary

(Bollard photo: Jawed Ashraf)

Things Done

Photography

I am sometimes a photographer and used to be a photography teacher and mentor. As well as doing occasional commercial work, I have exhibited in group shows and also produced small editions of photographic books. Previously, I was a regular Associate Lecturer for the School of Theatre at Wimbledon College of Art teaching one or two days a week for over 10 years. This mainly involved working with BA level students on computer based design and visualization as well as making short films and animations. Along with the conceptual and design help, I taught Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, After Effects and 3D software.

I also set up and ran the Starting Digital Photography course and Street Photography Workshops for Photofusion.

Group Exhibitions - Photography

Contemporary London Street Photography - as part of the London Festival of Photography - King’s Cross Station, London, 1 June - 15 August 2012.
Onto the Streets - Photofusion, London (July 2006) touring to Thessaloniki, Greece (Dec. 2006), Dubrovnik and Rijeka, Croatia (Feb / Mar 2007), Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia (15-25 March 2007).
London Independent Photography - London (2002, 2003 and 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011)
Snapping Little Britain - Orleans House Gallery, Richmond (March / April 2006)
Arrested Art - London (May and December 2002).

Books

My photography has featured in many books and magazines including one picture in Street Photography Now by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, published by Thames & Hudson.

I co-authored and designed a book on making simple mechanisms and automata. This was published in 1998, reprinted a number of times and still available: Cabaret Mechanical Movement.

Television

I directed Machinations, a series of four short films for Channel 4 about making things move in entertaining ways. The series was first broadcast in 1995. more…

Video

The Other Movies page lists some of the videos I’ve made. I have also shot and edited a number of short drama, promotional and documentary videos. more…

I’ve been a freelance something since 1992. Previously, I worked for Cabaret Mechanical Theatre and in the late eighties I was the Project Manager on a large CMT art project called ‘The Ride of Life’. Before CMT I was a Software Engineer, which partly explains how I’ve also produced things like an iPhone app. More strangely, I gained an MA in Screenwriting and Screen Research (1996, London College of Printing, now London College of Communications, UAL)

Gary Alexander