Author Archives: abcouk_wpadmin

      Encore + The Valleys Re-Presented /  Reviewed by Anna Falcini  for Photomonitor / 15.05.13 Alicia Bruce: Encore – Solo presentation at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama The Valleys Re-Presented – Group exhibition at Tramshed including work by Alicia Bruce To read the full review visit: http://www.photomonitor.co.uk/2013/05/alicia-bruce-encore-the-valleys-re-presented/

  “The battle for conservation will go on endlessly. It is part of the universal battle between right and wrong.” John Muir (1838-1914) inscribed into the wall of The Scottish Parliament  Today I accompanied Menie residents David and Moira Milne to the Scottish Parliament to hand over David’s petition calling for a public inquiry into handling of the Trump resort which now has 19,178 signatures. “We are calling on the Scottish Parliament, through the Public Petitions Committee, to urge the Scottish Government to hold a public inquiry into the way local government, Scottish Ministers and other relevant public bodies conducted themselves throughout their dealings with the Trump Organisation in relation to the Menie project. Why is this important? Only a full public inquiry can now get to the bottom of this story. We need to know how local and central government dealt with the Trump Organisation, what was offered by whom and when, and we need to establish why planning guidelines and environmental regulations were simply unable to protect our community and the unique environment we live in. Finally, we need to know what changes can be made so the planning system again works like it is supposed to.” “But [...]

‘The Valleys Project’ was featured on Phil Coomes ‘In Pictures’ on BBC News website on Wednesday 1 May to co-incide with the opening of my two exhibitions at -Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography. View the full post here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-22365027     A feature on ‘The Valleys Re-Presented‘ is also on BBC website  here: Cardiff tram shed converted to gallery for Diffusion festival        

My ongoing Menie project has been recognised in a parliamentary motion deeming the work to be of National significance.  This accolade came shortly after bringing the Menie photographs to The Scottish Parliament for Scottish Environment Week  and discussing the issues of Trump’s  ”bully boy tactics” with First Minister Alex Salmond.     “Motion S4M-05749: Patrick Harvie, Glasgow, Scottish Green Party, Date Lodged: 27/02/2013 Menie Community Photography Project That the Parliament congratulates the award-winning Aberdeenshire photographer, Alicia Bruce, on her ongoing photography project about Menie, an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Aberdeenshire coast; understands that her photographs from this series have gained international acclaim and have been published in The Times, The Scotsman and several arts magazines, and that two of the portraits have been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland, and welcomes that Alicia’s photographs, many of which restage compositions from celebrated paintings, have helped to tell the story of the residents of Menie, whose homes came under threat due to what it considers the bullish golf course development of Donald Trump, and to portray a side of that story that otherwise might have gone unheard.”     Mike Forbes was recognised in a motion in 2012 following winning Top Scot at Spirit of Scotland Awards. [...]

Today First Minister Alex Salmond came face to face with the residents of Menie at my exhibition in the Members’ Lobby of The Scottish Parliament. We spoke for about 12 minutes about my project. “Beautiful, powerful photographs” said Mr Salmond as he began to explain why he “greatly admires the Forbes family” saying they are “real characters”.  It was clear that bringing the Menie exhibition to The Scottish Parliament had my desired effect of reaching my target audience, The Scottish Government. He also told me he had “met Donald Trump once” at a Global Scots meeting in New York attended by sixteen others.  Mr Salmond says he does not agree with Trump’s bully-boy tactics but he thinks the golf course is a good idea.  I pointed out the undeniable damage on the fourth tee of Trump International Golf Links Scotland ‘as nature fights back’ leaving large areas of the course unsafe & unplayable.  It was useful to have a 30×30 inch un-edited print right there to refer to.   I also had the opportunity to point out the exact spot in residents Susan & John Munro’s garden where Trump’s angry security guard threatened to smash my camera and get back-up as I walked [...]

The public have voted Menie resident & local hero Michael Forbes ‘Top Scot’ in the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards.  Other nominees included Sean Connery & Chris Hoy. Read The Scotsman’s article here ‘Farmer who took on Trump triumphs in Spirit awards’ I’ve been working on a project about Menie and the Trump development since 2010.  I now consider the residents of Menie among my good friends.  Mike has stood up against Trump for his family heritage & is now officially a national hero.  The recent BBC screenings of You’ve Been Trumped have brought further public attention to what’s really happened in Menie. I’m unbelievably proud of Mike right now. Here’s the first snapshot I took of him in his barn in 2010.  A kind, generous and funny man surrounded by friends & family. In 2009 Donald Trump said in a vicious statement “Mr Forbes is not a man that people in Scotland should be proud of.”  He branded Mike’s property a slum and claimed he was ‘The Village Idiot’.  Mike’s response?  ’If I’m The Village Idiot then he must be The New York Clown’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9rRjTkDREM&feature=related You can see my portrait of ‘Mike & Sheila Forbes: Mill of Menie’ at The Royal Scottish Academy until 31 [...]

I’ve written a case study about one of my multiple experiences with Trump Security in Aberdeenshire for Duckrabbit blog.  This story was then featured in The Daily Mail on Saturday 10 November. To read the case study go here: http://duckrabbit.info/blog/2012/11/not-the-usual-highland-welcome-im-going-to-smash-your-camera/