Michael Collins

Born India 8th January 1961

Education BA (Hons) International Relations, Sussex University 1983

Visiting Professor of Photography, University of Suffolk 2018 to date.

Exhibitions:

 “Pillars in the Thames”, Trinity Buoy Wharf, London 2022

“Railway Operational Buildings”, London Festival of Architecture 2022

"Atmospheric Conditions" Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, Germany March 2018 (with catalogue)

"Iris, Parthenon Sculpture", British Museum, London 2017 - 2019

“Landscape and Industry”, Janet Borden Gallery, New York. 2014

“The Long Look”, Bedford Museum, 2014

“Reference Works”, Library of Birmingham, 2013

“Pictures from the Hoo Peninsula,” Janet Borden Gallery, New York, 2012.

“The Potteries.” (group show) Janet Borden Gallery, New York 2011.

“Factories” Museum of Lost Heritage, Birmingham, 2010

“Cityscapes of London and New York”, John McAslan Gallery, London 2010

“Cityscapes of the City of London”, Guildhall Art Gallery, London 2010

“Record Pictures” (catalogue), JAGR Projects, Philadelphia, USA 2010

“London Cityscapes” (catalogue) Janet Borden Gallery, New York, USA 2009

“Birmingham Seen”, Birmingham City Art Gallery 2009.

“Battersea Power Station” RIBA Gallery, London 2009

“London Cityscapes”, City Hall, London 2009

“Stewartby Brickworks” BCA Gallery, Bedford 2008

“Landscape and Industry; Photography of the Potteries”

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent 2008

“The Long Look” BEAM, Wakefield 2008

Touring exhibition of contemporary record picture landscapes

“Record Pictures” Bridport Arts Centre 2007

Touring exhibition of contemporary record picture landscapes (with catalogue)

“Record Pictures” Sherborne House 2007

Touring exhibition of contemporary record picture landscapes (with catalogue)

“Record Pictures” CUBE, Manchester 2007

Touring exhibition of contemporary record picture landscapes (with catalogue)

“Birmingham Site Specific: Factories”, Birmingham 2006 (with catalogue)

Site specific exhibition of 6 contemporary and 6 historic record picture photographs in a derelict factory.

“Record Pictures” Focal Point Gallery, Southend 2006

Touring exhibition of contemporary record picture landscapes (with catalogue)

“Record Pictures of St Pancras”, German Gymnasium, London 2005.

 Solo exhibition of four Record Picture landscapes made around St Pancras Station development 2003-5.

“Birmingham North Relief Road”, Oriel Mostyn Open 2005. Featured pair Record Picture landscapes of M6 toll motorway under construction.

“Land”, ArtSway, Sway, Hants. 2002. Seascape No. 2 2000 taken from “Of Time & Place” series.

"Brief Encounter". Touring exhibition co-curated with Julian Germain. Ffotogallery, Cardiff 1996. Catalogue.  Exhibition of re-presented black and white prints from the Press Association archive.

"Brief Encounter". Touring exhibition co-curated with Julian Germain:Viewpoint, Salford 1995. Catalogue.

"Family". Touring exhibition co-curated with Paul Reas. Maidstone Art Gallery, 1994. Exhibition consisting of re-contextualised family photogrtaphs taken by the Boorman Family (originally commissioned as a Telegraph Magazine project)

"Family". Touring exhibition co-curated with Paul Reas. Venues: Impressions Gallery, York 1993.

“Portraits by Gorillas” and “Boorman Family Photographs” in “Who’s Looking at the Family?” Barbican Art Gallery, London 1994.

Public Art Commissions:

 “Railway Operational Buildings”, 2021, a commission by the Design Council and Network Rail to create a photographic typography of railway sheds in England, Scotland, and Wales, produced as a monograph.

"The Chemical Engineering Sublime", The Institution of Chemical Engineers. 2018 - 2019

“Reference Works”. Photographs of the new Library of Birmingham. 2011 – 2013.

“Cityscapes of Birmingham” 2009. Commission by city of Birmingham to make cityscapes for exhibition.

“Record Pictures Bedford”. Commissioned by BCA Gallery to make a set of record picture photographs for exhibition.

“Record Pictures of the Potteries” Commissioned by the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery to make record picture photographs of the area, and to research and re-present historic record pictures, for exhibition.

“Record `Pictures of Birmingham” 2005/6. Commissioned by Birmingham City Council to make Record Pictures of landscapes and buildings within the city for future exhibition.

“The Kingfisher Theatre Trail”, Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield. 2003. Commissioned by The King’s Fund to make two triptychs of landscapes for the corridor leading to the Kingfisher Children’s Surgical Theatre

Publications:

"The Nuclear Sublime" RRB Photobooks 2024

“Railway Operational Buildings”, The Design Council in association with Network Rail, 2021.

“In a Morris Minor Key”. Interview about family slides with Fatema Ahmed, Apollo Magazine, 18 July 2019.

"The Family Silver" Lecturis 2019

Amateur Family Photography, The Financial Times Magazine 25 May 2019

"Atmospheric Conditions" SK Stiftung, Cologne 2018

"The Ground Glass", in Picturing Places, The British Library's topography website 2017

"London Construction Sites", The Financial Times Magazine, 23 April 2016

"Pictures from the Hoo Peninsula" Verlag Kettler 2015. Monograph.

Hilla Becher's obituary, The Guardian 15 October 2015

"Landscape and Industry" Review, Photo World Magazine, China, March 2015

"Landscape and Industry" Review, The Guardian, 27 December 2014

"Landscape and Industry" review RIBA Journal 2014

“Landscape and Industry”. Dewi Lewis Publishing 2014. Monograph.

“The Hulks of Hoo,” The Financial Times magazine 31 March 2012

“Record Pictures” JAGR Projects, Philadelphia, USA 2010

“London Cityscapes”. Catalogue. Janet Borden Gallery 2009

“Battersea Power Station”, Guardian newspaper, 29 August 2009

“London Cityscapes” Blueprint magazine May 2009

“London Cityscapes” London Evening Standard 6 May 2009.

“Stewartby Brickworks” review Source issue 56 2008

“Stewartby Brickworks” Guardian Guide 2 August 2008

“Salvage Documentation” MoLH 2007

“Battersea Power Station” portfolio published in Wallpaper June/July 2007

“Birmingham Site Specific: Factories” 2006.  Catalogue of 6 colour and 6 black and white photographs from site specific exhibition in Birmingham.

“Longbridge” in Blueprint magazine November 2006

“Record Pictures” 2006. Catalogue from touring exhibition. 24pp with essay by Nicholas Alfrey.

“Record Pictures. Photographs from the Archives of the Institution of Civil Engineers”. SteidlMACK 2004

Book of photographs re-presented from the ICE archive illustrating the genre of industrial Record Pictures 1860-1940 together with essay “Photography and Realism

 “Record Pictures” review of above book in SOURCE Spring 2005

“Record Pictures” review of above book in Frieze January/February 2005

“Record Pictures: Birmingham North Relief Road 2004” in Le Monde “New British Photography” magazine 4 April 2004.

“Ruby” (portrait) Granta Diary 2004. Portrait of a Patterdale Terrier in Granta’s publication reviewing the history of photography

 “Seascape. No. 2”. 2000. In “Seeing and Writing”, Bedford St Martin’s Press (Boston) 2002.

“I’ve Always Been A Fan” in ‘Granta’ No.78. Autumn 2002

Photographs featuring ordinary people with celebrities, published in conjunction with their letters.

“Seascapes”. Set of six seascapes .2000. In ‘Granta’ No.76. Winter 2001

"Brief Encounter" Viewpoint Gallery, 1995 Catalogue for touring exhibition. Introductory essay.

Research:

Record picture archives of the chemical engineering industries. 2018 - 19. The Inst. of Chemical Engineers.

Amateur family slides. Research and curatorial commission by the David Thompson Collection. Examining collection of 100,000 family slides (1940s - 1980s, worldwide) and curating forthcoming exhibition for National Gallery of Canada. Includes publication and essay.

The Prehistory of Landscape Photography: Examining the precursors to landscape photography - the development of topographical painting and drawing, and "plein air" paintings and sketches - and the influence of works made with the camera obscura and camera lucida. (See "The Ground Glass" British Library 2017)

Record Pictures: Ongoing research into the history and nature of Record Picture photography (see SteidlMACK 2004). Examining industrial and public works archives, including: Institution of Civil Engineers, London; Ecole des Ponts et des Chaussees, Paris; Manchester Metropolitan Archive; Liverpool City Engineers Archive; London Metropolitan Archives; English China Clay Archives, Cornwall; Birmingham Public Works Archives.

Selected Writings:

"The Family Silver" essay in "The Family Silver" Lecturis 2019

"A Matter of Matter of Fact", in "Commissioned Works" 2019

"The Ground Glass: Landscape Art, The Camera Obscura and Photography." Topography website, The British Library 2017

Hilla Becher's obituary, The Guardian 15 October 2015

"Afterword" in "Pictures from the Hoo Peninsula", Verlag Kettler, 2015

“Into the Picture” essay in “Landscape and Industry” Dewi Lewis Publishing 2014

“The Hulks of Hoo,” The Financial Times magazine 31/3/2012

Larry Sultan. The Independent Magazine 6 August 2010

Larry Sultan's obituary, The Guardian 17 December 2009

 “Photography and Realism”. Essay in “Record Pictures. Photographs from the Archives of the Institution of Civil Engineers” SteidlMACK 2004

“The Reward of the Long Look”. Review in The Daily Telegraph 31/5/03 on “Cruel and Tender” at Tate Modern.

“The Long Look” Tate Magazine Sept. 2002. Article discussing the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, roots in nineteenth century Record Picture photography and influence today.

William Eggleston (review) The Daily Telegraph, 9/1/2002

Carleton Watkins (review) The Daily Telegraph 10 July 1999

Jimmy Forsyth (review) The Daily Telegraph 15 January 1999

Andreas Gursky (review) The Daily Telegraph 1 July 1995

Lectures:

"Landscape Art and the role of Photography" University of Suffolk 2018

"From Then and There to Here and Now", University of Suffolk 2016

"A Matter of Matter of Fact" Coventry University 2015

"From Then and There to Here and Now", Denver Art Museum 2014

"The Record Picture Aesthetic" Birmingham University 2012

Cityscapes & Topographical Photography, John McAslan Gallery, London 2010

Cityscapes of London, Guildhall Art Gallery, London 2010

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1993-2009

University of Brighton 1996 - 2009

University of Wales, Newport 1993-2005

University of Sunderland 1993-2005

Great Yarmouth College 2005

"The Record Picture Aesthetic" Institution of Civil Engineers, London 2004

Record Pictures, Sherborne House, Dorset 2004

Record Pictures, Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset 2003

Harvard 2003

Manchester Metropolitan Archives 1999

Goldsmiths College, London 1998

Victoria & Albert Museum 1998

Massachusetts College of Art 1998

De Montfort University 1997-98

University of Plymouth (Exeter) 1993-97

California College of Arts & Crafts 1994 & 1996

Falmouth Art College 1997

London College of Printing 1994-96

Princeton 1993

Rochester Institute of Technology, New York 1993

Fotofeis, Edinburgh 1993

Farnham College 1992-95

Book Editor/Magazine/Editorial:

"Asia Minor Reprise" Martin Schleyer. Ernst Wasmuth Verlag 2017 (editor)

“Ray’s A Laugh” Richard Billingham. Scalo 1996 (editor)

“Soccer Wonderland” Julian Germain. Booth-Clibbon 1994 (editor)

“Prime Passage” Georgina Ravenscroft.  Cornerhouse 1993 (editor)

Picture Editor, Granta "India" issue 2015

Writer of photographers' obituaries The Guardian (ongoing)

Principal Photography Critic, The Daily Telegraph 1995 - 2003

Picture Editor, Telegraph Magazine, 1990 - 1996

Picture Editor, Geo Magazine (UK) 1989 -1990

Picture Research, Observer Magazine 1988- 1989