Proximity at Open Eye Gallery

Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor

Visit now

Proximity

Open Eye Gallery, Waterfront
7 November 2024-19 January 2025

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Image by Stephen McCoy, from River to River project
Image by Stephen McCoy, from River to River project
Book now

Proximity at Open Eye Gallery is an exhibition of photographs by Stephen McCoy, a local artist closely connected with the region of Merseyside and its people. He has spent 45 years living in the area and throughout that time, he has been capturing the places and residents through multiple photographic projects. 

The show features a selection of works from the major ones, spanning from 1979 to the present, including two recent, ongoing sets of work. Highlights include: River to River (1985 – 1990) which follows the coastline from the river Mersey in the South to the river Ribble in the North, capturing tourists in Southport alongside the docks at Seaforth; Demolition Sites (1981 – 1986), recording sites across Liverpool and Preston where demolition of industrial and domestic buildings took place, and Every House My Mother Lived In (2019 – present), where McCoy followed one family’s journey through nine different houses and flats – an intimate look at their experiences and memories throughout the years. You’ll also find slightly quirkier projects like Archaeology of a Carpet (2003) in which images of the layers inside a transparent vacuum cleaner cylinder act as a record of domestic environment activities, not unlike rock strata.

McCoy’s personal connection to his subject is clear to see, whether he is photographing housing estates in Ainsdale to communities in Skelmersdale, or the demolition sites in Liverpool. His tender approach is what gives the images their magic. The artist himself explains that his best work “shows a deep personal connection to the subject photographed, whether of people or place. A sense of place necessitates familiarity with an area; hence this exhibition is a distillation of a 45-year project, a continuing examination of my homeland, my Proximity.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a selection of book covers from the independent publisher Café Royal Books covers, where Stephen McCoy was featured 16 times with a host of projects throughout his career.

What's on at Open Eye Gallery

Where to go near Proximity at Open Eye Gallery

Liverpool
Gallery
RIBA North

RIBA North is the national architecture centre on the Liverpool Waterfront and a temporary home to Tate Liverpool.

Waterfront
Hotel
30 James Street

Steeped in history, 30 James Street is a Titanic-themed hotel with a an atmosphere of opulence and classic glamour.

City Centre
Restaurant
Etsu

What Etsu sushi restaurant in Liverpool lacks in marketing skills, it more than makes up for in Japanese cuisine.

Liverpool
Restaurant
Silk Rd

Silk Rd Tapas serves up delicious Mediterranean small plates, named after the Silk Route, an ancient network of trade routes, bringing spices and silks.

Waterfront
Café or Coffee Shop
Royal Liver Building

An iconic landmark, the Royal Liver Building was one of the first multi-storey buildings made using a steel-reinforced concrete structure.

Afternoon tea at Oh Me Oh My
City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
Oh Me Oh My

A secret space and tea room, Oh Me Oh My lives in the stunning surrounds of Liverpool’s West Africa House. We take a look.

Photo of a stained glass window showing the word 'Surgery'
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Jenny’s Bar

Jenny’s Bar is hidden away on Fenwick Street in Liverpool. Descend a staircase from what looks like a fish restaurant, and you’ll find a bar in two parts.

Waterfront
Museum
The British Music Experience

It’s a discotheque for the senses, an incredible collection of artefacts and memorabilia, audio guides, music and stories. There are iconic costumes worn by David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Dusty Springfield, the Spice Girls and Adam Ant, and musical instruments played by some of the world’s most renowned artists from Noel Gallagher to the Sex Pistols.

What's on: Exhibitions

A woman sits on a crochet covered armchair, wearing a crochet costume and holding a crochet eyeball to her face
ExhibitionsLeeds
A Soft Disturbance at Assembly House

An interactive surrealist textile and soundscape installation by Leeds based artist Abigail Elizabeth and Sound Designer Sam Jones. Do you want to come and play? No pressure, we just want you

Free entry
In a large industrial space filled with dobby looms hangs a blood red textile piece infront of a sheer white backdrop.
Until
ExhibitionsLeeds
Loops at Sunny Bank Mills

‘Loops’ is a new collaborative exhibition of textiles at Sunny Bank Mills, connecting artists from across the Netherlands and Yorkshire.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Experimental performance, thought-provoking new writing and our picks of Manchester International Festival - here’s what’s taking centre stage this summer.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.