What does the work of early 20th century women photographers in Scotland teach us? In this keynote I gave an overview of 'Glean: Early 20th century women filmmakers and photographers in Scotland', defining the scope of the exhibition. The keynote then outlined the wider research field. By discussing the four exhibition themes that crosscut the work of the 14 women photographers and filmmakers, I then looked at research methods, including comparative groupings as a way to analyse different styles, approaches and motivations. The keynote also considered how exhibition-making as a research tool can respond to the representation of these women and their work.

’Photography and Memory’ was a collaboration between the City Art Centre Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University School of Arts and Creative Industries, and The Glasgow School of Art (GSA). The Symposium took as its starting point three concurrent exhibitions at the City Art Centre: 'Glean: early 20th Century women filmmakers and photographers in Scotland', curated by Jenny Brownrigg, GSA Exhibitions Director; Edinburgh: 'A Lost World', an exhibition of work by Ron O’Donnell, Lecturer in Photography at Edinburgh Napier; and Paul Duke, an alumni of Edinburgh Napier’s Photography programme, with his exhibition: 'No Ruined Stone'. As keynote speakers at the Symposium, O’Donnell and Brownrigg presented the contextual background to their exhibitions.

The symposium brought together over 15 other speakers - including UK and international scholars and practitioners - across six panels. The panels addressed themes including: Hidden Histories and the Photo-album; Post-imperialism and post-revolutionary photography; the Personal and the Routine as Memory and History; Hauntology, Landscape and Memory; and Uncomfortable Histories.