Booth Event – Book Signing: Kirsty Mackay

Join Kirsty Mackay with Bluecoat Press on Saturday for a book signing of The Magic Money Tree.

In her latest book Mackay gives people a platform to articulate the reality of poverty and the consequences of 14 years of social welfare decline. Mackay’s unflinching empathy is abundantly apparent, but it is a quality that shines through her portfolio, in photography that surprises, challenges and goes far beyond simple documentary. Among her own startling images are shots taken by young people on film cameras given to them by Mackay alongside community workshops. The result is a provocative juxtaposition of heartbreaking deprivation and the innocence and fun of childhood. “Their pictures give it more colour and life,” she says. “My pictures are more serious.” They are often more overtly political too; encouraged to share paintings and topics that mattered to them, the children are also seen carrying homemade placards, articulating anger and rage in a country that has failed them.