Interview with photographer Dougie Wallace
We were thrilled to catch up with Glasweegee photographer Dougie Wallace to talk about his exhibition Shoreditch Wildlife, which happened at Boxpark in 2015…
Dougie Wallace: Shoreditch Wildlife
Tell us about your new exhibition, what’s it all about?
I’ve been photographing around Shoreditch for 15 years now. You can see how I’ve grown up by the trajectory of the photos, i.e. the early ones are all at night and out at parties whereas the later ones are taken during the day and reflect an area in flux.
What was your journey to creating your new photography collection?
I can’t say there was a journey. I never go out without a camera (unless I’m on holiday) and my Shoreditch collection doesn’t end with the book. I’ve got a whole new body of photos of the area that I’ll publish at some point.
Dougie Wallace: Shoreditch Wildlife
What makes your work different?
People ask me if my photos are staged…while none of them are staged, a lot of them are a reaction to me. I don’t sit and wait for something to happen. I’ll run across the street to photograph something I think is interesting and my presence will change the dynamic.
Who or what inspires you?
Bruce Gilden, Gary Winogrand, Weegee, Vivian Maier, she used a medium format Rolleiflex which meant the angle she took the pictures at let her pass by unseen, it also means she gets an incredible amount of detail.
What are your favourite places to go in London?
Living East I spend a lot of time at Shoreditch House for meetings, gym and general working, I go the cinema a lot and I eat at Bamboo Hut on Shoreditch High Street
Dougie Wallace: Shoreditch Wildlife
What are your favourite free or cheap things to do in London?
Free cinema screenings at Soho and Shoreditch House for members. The Photographers’ Gallery, The V&A, the Science Museum.
Dougie Wallace: Shoreditch Wildlife
What’s on your To Do List for this year?
The Sony World Photography Awards shortlist exhibition at Somerset House from 28th April. I’ve got a solo show in Lodz, Poland in May, I’ve also got a show in Hamburg in June. My book Road Wallah will come out in the summer so there’ll be a show to accompany that and we are planning an event in Bombay later in the year. In terms of other people’s shows, I went to Edmund Clark’s The Mountains of Majeed recently and I’m looking forward to Nick Waplington/Alexander McQueen: Working Process at the Tate.
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
