Strangers’ Stories

The Viewfinder Photography Gallery presents 'Strangers' Stories', an exhibition of photographic works by Andrea Allan and Alex McIlhiney, combining photography with narrative texts to tell the stories of the world and people around them. Andrea Allan and Alex McIlhiney broaden the limits of photography and writing to explore the human experience.

© Alex McIlhiney

© Andrea Allan

Andrea Allan amalgamates photographs and text in order to extend the narrative of both mediums, creating photo short stories.

Alex McIlhiney’s body of work sprung from the need to go back to using film after buying a digital SLR. His photographs are accompanied by overlaid written ‘reports’ of strange individuals observed.

Viewfinder curator Kathleen Brey says: "The photographs featured in ‘Strangers' Stories’ trigger emotions that all of us share. The exhibition is about observing people and creating our own stories regarding the lives of others. Photography, like the written word, has the poetic power to weave complex and often mysterious narratives. By layering images with words, Andrea Allan and Alex McIlhiney push the limits of visual documentation.