The Martin Parr Foundation presents Proximity, an exhibition by Stephen McCoy.
Stephen McCoy has been making photographs of the people and places of Merseyside for nearly 50 years. Proximity, a retrospective exhibition brings together photographs from his disparate projects ranging from images of housing estates in Ainsdale, communities in Skelmersdale, demolition sites in Liverpool, the domestic spaces of homes and gardens and the archaeological information provided by the contents of his vacuum bag.
‘Over the years I’ve learnt that some of the best work—poignant and powerful—is made on the photographer’s own doorstep. Steve’s work is no exception and the exhibition’s title ‘Proximity’ is a key tenet of his work. Our paths crossed briefly in 1978 when I was teaching at Manchester Polytechnic and he was a student, a couple of years later I saw his ‘Housing Estates’ work at Impressions Gallery and he came to visit me 1983 and 1986 when I lived in New Brighton. He’s been working quietly and tirelessly for decades yet his work has been overlooked, so it’s a great pleasure to be able to display it at the Foundation.’ – Martin Parr
Some of the earliest work in the exhibition ‘Housing Estates’ (1979-1983) documenting the housing stock created when large estates were built in the village Ainsdale. The early black and white, high contrast photographs focused on angular, repetitive construction, playing with shadow and light. The series evolved to a colour typology of identically structured bungalows—photographed under uniform flat-light conditions—to emphasise the customisation by residents with shutters and garden design.
During this period of early work, McCoy was simultaneously photographing both industrial and domestic demolition sites in Liverpool and Preston. In some cases, these landscapes existed for only a short period before redevelopment, and others the land lay unused for many years. Similarly focused on landscapes in flux is McCoy’s most extensive series of work in the exhibition is ‘River to River’ (1985-1990) in which he followed the coastline from the river Mersey in the south to the river Ribble in the north. The photographer is still making work concerned with the local landscape and in ‘The Rimrose Valley’ (2016-present) his focus is on the country park—a former council tip and pig farm which was later threatened by a dual carriageway—and its increasing importance for wildlife and recreation.
In 1983, McCoy was photographer in residence in Skelmersdale, commissioned to make photographs of the residents and landscape of the new town which housed overspill populations from north Merseyside, Skelmersdale suffered from an economic downturn in the 1970s and McCoy’s photographs show the residents going about their daily lives against the backdrop of neglected urban infrastructure.
McCoy’s work has often focused on the family and the domestic life. For the conceptual series ‘Archaeology of a Carpet’ (2003) he photographed his transparent vacuum cleaner cylinder as an archaeological record of the domestic environment activities. In ‘Personal Space’ (1980 – 1984) he captured families engaged in day-to-day activities at home or in the garden—often closely cropped and made at strange angles these images are a humorous and affectionate look at the quirks of family life. His ongoing series ‘Every House My Mother Lived in’ (2019-present) shows his own family’s journey through nine different houses and flats—each location embedded with memory and experience. This series will be presented in a vitrine close to a film about his mother.
Stephen McCoy is a British photographer living and working on Merseyside. He has worked as a lecturer and freelance photographer – undertaking commissions for a wide range of clients and working on long-term personal projects. In 1997 he began working collaboratively with photographer Stephanie Wynne and their most recent project ‘Are You Living Comfortably?’ is held in the University of Salford Art Collection. McCoy’s work has been widely exhibited most recently in the group exhibition ‘Home Sweet Home’ at Rencontres d’Arles (2019) and Institut pour la Photographie, Lille.
This exhibition was originated by Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, where it was curated by Max Gorbatskyi and on display from November 2024-January 2025.
EVENTS
10 October 2025 Proximity Exhibition Party, Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol.
3 November 2025 Steve McCoy Artist Talk, Martin Parr Foundation, Bristol.
Stephen McCoy : Proximity
2 October – 21 December 2025
Martin Parr Foundation
316 Paintworks
Bristol BS4 3AR
(+44) 0117 329 3270
www.martinparrfoundation.org
Gallery opening times:
THURS to SUN, 10.00am to 5.00pm
MON to WED, open upon request
Free entry to exhibitions
