Communication Design School of Design
Amber Charlton
Born and raised in East London, I moved to Glasgow in 2021 to study Communication Design, specialising in lens-based media.
Working across both digital and film formats, my recent practice has centred on medium format photography with a focus on portraiture. People are at the heart of my work, whether strangers, family, or friends, it is always their stories that draw me in. I use the camera as a tool to explore, depict, and sometimes redefine these narratives.
While portraiture remains a consistent thread, my practice has evolved significantly over the past year to include moving image, with a growing emphasis on short-form documentary work.
No More Showings
Over the past four years of living in Glasgow I’ve developed a deep appreciation for cinema-going, not just as light entertainment, but as a cultural ritual rooted in place and history. This interest culminated in a Design History and Theory extended essay which looks at the evolution of the cinematic experience, with a particular focus on Glasgow’s rich, and often overlooked, cinematic heritage. I examine how different venues have shaped and diversified the experience of watching films, alongside which audiences these changes are aimed at serving. In a time when streaming and solitary viewing dominate, a trend further fuelled by the Covid-19 Pandemic, I aim to understand what continues to draw people to the communal space of cinema.
Beginning my research, I discovered that Glasgow once had more cinemas per capita than any other city in Europe, earning the nickname ‘Cinema City’. While most of these venues have now been demolished, many still stand, some derelict and some repurposed. I was surprised to learn that places I had often visited, such as Q-Club, Sub Club, and the Savoy Centre, were once bustling cinemas. This inspired me to photograph a selection of these sites, with the intention of revealing their cinematic history, hidden in plain sight, and perhaps stirring a sense of nostalgia for their former glory.
As Glasgow continues to change, some of these buildings will soon disappear altogether, the O2 ABC, for instance, is already half demolished, its iconic circular roof misshapen from the infamous Mackintosh fire. With that in mind, this project also serves as a visual archive – an attempt to document not just the architecture, but the role these spaces have played in shaping collective experiences and urban identity.
The project was shot entirely on a Hasselblad 500C/M with an 80mm f/2.8 CFE Carl Zeiss Planar lens, using black and white film. Film photography felt more appropriate than digital, as the project’s concept centers on slowing down to truly observe and appreciate the architectural history of a building. The deliberate process of setting up a medium format camera and composing each shot added a sense of intention and care. This analog approach also echoed the project’s cinematic themes, with the tactile experience of exposing and processing film paralleling the projection and materiality of early cinema, tying the concept and execution together cohesively.
My Mum (The Furniture Maker)
This short film explores my mum’s dual identity as a furniture maker and as a parent.
Motivated by a growing understanding of her IVF journey to have me and my sister, this project unfolded through a series of intimate conversations that fostered a new openness in our relationship. Initially conceived as a portrait of her craft, the work expanded into a broader reflection on the tensions many women face between motherhood and creative practice. It explores the parallels between raising children and making furniture, both acts of creation shaped by care, time, and sacrifice. The film engages with wider questions of gender, labour, and identity, examining how societal expectations often force women to choose between personal and professional fulfilment. While rooted in my mother’s experience, it invites viewers to reflect on their own family dynamics and the complex, inherited stories that shape who we become.
Grimsby St Portrait, Framed
Family Football Club
This self-directed project documents the growth of a grassroots football club founded in October with a focus on creating an inclusive space for women, queer, and non-binary players. Shot on 35mm film, the series captures weekly sessions and the evolving spirit of a community that has grown from ten to over 100 members.
The work challenges dominant narratives of football often tied to aggression, exclusion, and toxic masculinity, especially within Glasgow’s deeply divided football culture. Instead, it celebrates the joy, care, and connection that emerge when the game is reclaimed as a space for inclusivity and play.
This series sits at the intersection of sport, identity, and place, and acts both as a personal record and a visual archive of a small but meaningful piece of queer football history.
