client news
(October 2009)
China shoe
workers photo show for human rights film festival
The lives of young workers in China's burgeoning footwear
industry are the subject of a photographic exhibition being
mounted at the Document 7 international human rights documentary
film festival in Glasgow this month.
The 'Shenzhen Longgang' exhibition at the Centre for
Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Sauchiehall Street traces portrait
photographer Martin Coyne's November 2008 visit to the Pearl
River Delta under a commission by Hong-Kong based footwear
manufacturer Da Sing Shoes.
Glasgow-born Coyne, now based in Poole, Dorset, cites the show
measuring one the most 'interesting and challenging commissions'
he has undertaken to date.
"Logistics and communication difficulties aside, manufacturing
industry in China as a subject matter is one of the most
contentious contemporary issues," he says.
"I had read No Logo, I knew of the existence of Export
Processing Zones, I knew of China's questionable human rights
record."
Coyne was glad at least for a straightforward brief from Da
Sing, a fast-growing Hong-Kong based company supplying the
international fashion market with shoes and accessories from its
three factories.
"I was relieved that David Brook at Da Sing Shoes kept it
simple, asking me to create a sympathetic document of these
people who work for him, people travelling thousands of miles to
make shoes for Britain, people who go home to their families
only two weeks out of the year, people who are the hands of the
current economic revolution in China," says Coyne.
In building the Venn diagram of his experience and that of his
subjects, he also found an unexpected area of common ground.
"I grew up in post-industrial Lanarkshire and worked in its
factories in my early twenties," he says.
"My co-workers then bore striking similarities to their
counterparts in Shenzhen Longang - young people aspiring to the
Western mode of living, using the latest electronic devices and
wearing fashions that are quite stunningly globalised."
The workers in his photographs displayed the same openness and
warmth Coyne had encountered wherever he has worked but only
after he circumvented the initial suspicion and reluctance.
"Both reactions are understandable and acceptable," he reflects,
adding: "But then my view is to never judge a man until you have
walked a mile in his shoes.
"This project afforded me the time to live, sleep and eat in the
same conditions as the workers. That experience informed the
work and gave me an insight into their way of living."
'Shenzhen Longgang' runs from October 17th to 25th at the CCA,
350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G23 JD as part of a programme of
events and screenings for international human rights documentary
film festival Document 7, taking place at the CCA & Glasgow Film
Theatre from 21st–25th Oct 2009.
Ends
FOR HI-RES IMAGES RELATING TO THIS EVENT, PLEASE CONTACT AGENCY
Issued October 2009 on behalf of Da Sing Shoes Ltd
petermuir public relations
Whiteleaf Business Centre, Buckingham Industrial Park,
Buckingham MK18 1TF, UK
tel 00 44 (0) 1296 715228 fax 00 44 (0)1296 715486
www.pmpr.info
Contact Peter
Muir: 07703 648077 e:
peter@pmpr.co.uk
Editor Note:
About Document 7
With over 60 outstanding national and international
documentaries that look at human rights in its broadest sense—as
personal stories with a global punch—visitors to this year's
Document 7 festival will find films that are both accessible and
thought-provoking, engaging and challenging, and be able to
debate them with the filmmakers and invited speakers. These
films cover ground often ignored or overlooked by the mainstream
media—films that show how real people are affected by the great
events of our age, on their own turf, and how they deal with
that—films in which people refuse to be defined simply as
victims of circumstance.
Further information at
www.potatoscone.com/doc7/doc7.html
About Martin
Coyne
Martin Coyne grew up in Bellshill, a satellite town of Glasgow
from which he 'escaped' to the city where he was first
introduced to photography. Having a deep passion for music but
unfortunately no musical talent he discovered that if you took
photos of bands you not only got into gigs for nothing but got a
great view as well.
After a few years
of working as a press photographer, he began to explore
different approaches to photography culminating in a year of
making landscape images in west Dorset and enrolling on a BA
Photography course at the Arts Institute at Bournemouth.
During this time
he refined his photographic voice and an interest in portraiture
and documentary. In 2003 he was commissioned to make a project
involving Gypsies in the New Forest area that resulted in a
book, several publications and two major exhibitions.
Recently he
travelled to Malawi to film and edit an Aids/HIV education film,
whilst there he produced a body of photographic work entitled
'Crossing the Line'. Two of the images from this project were
selected to be hung in the Royal West Academy's first open
photography exhibition. He is currently working in partnership
with Kube gallery in Poole on various documentary projects as
well as undertaking other commissions.
Further information at
www.martincoyne.com
ends
About Da Sing Shoes
Da Sing Shoes manages the shoe wear requirements of major retail groups,
catalogue and online retail customers. Manufacturing some of the finest
qualities in women?s, teens, and children?s shoes as well as accessories
takes place at the company?s factories in China.
Da Sing applies itself daily to attaining the best, up-to-the-minute
market intelligence on international shoe fashion, manufacture and
logistics.
It shares that intelligence with retail group clients to ensure that
their individual and collective needs are met with the optimum in bespoke
exclusive shoe wear design and sourcing.
This holistic approach to providing a direct, bespoke supply service
covering design, manufacture, quality control and shipping results in one
of the fastest, most reliable turnarounds from order to delivery
available on the world shoe market.
Customers include some of the most famous names in their respective
markets in the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe, Australia, South Africa
and Canada.
Da Sing Shoes prides itself on delivering top quality shoe solutions at
market-beating cost. In less than five years, Da Sing has increased its
offer from ladies casual shoes to dress, sports, canvas, beach and
leather ranges in ladies, teens and children?s sizes. The company has
also enjoying new success in the design and manufacture of fashion
accessories. Further information at
www.dasingshoes.co.uk
