A reception was held at the Village Inn on Thursday night to mark the opening of an exhibition by local photographer Paul Preacher. One unique aspect of the photographs on display is that they were all taken in the Village itself, yet the venue is not the focal point of the collection. For the past 7 months, Paul has photographed musicians and instruments at the regular Tuesday night concerts put on by Leith Folk Club and the result is an impressive body of work indeed.
 
Throughout the project, Paul found that while the Club presents some of Scotland’s finest musicians, he encountered performers from Australia to Argentina, Canada to Northern Europe and many points in between. In all 8 different nationalities (“9 if you count Dundee”) are featured on the walls – and those are just the ones that made the final cut. Whether capturing the energy of live performance, or the “still life” of instruments at rest, he shows a remarkable ability to relate to his subject matter.
 
The exhibition can be viewed during normal pub opening times, subject to no private event taking place on the premises. 
 
NOTE: All the photographs are for sale, and £20 from each one will go to Sistema Scotland, a charity set up to keep children away from drugs, crime etc by giving them a chance to play music in an orchestral setting. This scheme was originally set up in Venezuela, where it operates with considerable success.