Andrew Catlin (born 1960) is an English photographer, artist, director, cinematographer and filmmaker. His work has been widely published, and is included in numerous collections, books, exhibitions and archives. His work is held in the collection of the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

, London.

Life and work

Catlin grew up intrigued by both arts and science. His childhood was spent in London in the 1960s during a period of great transformation and social change. His father, Harry, was the son of a carpenter from the Midlands, who moved to London in the 1950's to work at the BBC. His mother, Joan, was from the north east of England, growing up in county Durham, before coming to London to study English and then finding work at the BBC, where she met Harry. Catlin had early interests in ethology and also photography, which was encouraged by his father, himself a keen photographer. In 1978, Catlin was awarded the Prince Philip Prize for Zoology by the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

for a research project completed while at school. After attending

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

, he continued his studies with a psychology degree at

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

before returning to London to do a research degree in Learning and Development at University College London. During this time he developed his interest in photography. Early work for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'', ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'', ''

POP Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

'' and ''Spin'' quickly extended to other publications, and commissions from record companies, musicians, designers and artists internationally. His work appeared on record sleeves, books and magazine covers. He was one of the photographers chosen to document the

Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

concert in 1985 and was the largest single contributor to the subsequent exhibition and book. During the 1980s he began directing music videos. During a visit to Japan while working with Bryan Adams, he was experimenting with a Super-8 movie camera, when Adams asked if he would film one of his live songs. The black and white clip that followed was reviewed by Chrissy Iley in ''Direction Magazine'' as a great debut. His second video, for the

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses ...

track, Blue Moon was given a feature in Direction:

"Blue Moon surprised me, impressed me, and I'm hard to impress, especially with performance videos. Its approach is not clinical or technical or corporate. But its flickered lights and sepia faces strike a mood that few directors of the three-minute clip even bother to think necessary. The facial expressions are important to him, and are carefully monitored with his portraiture eye. Fortunately, MTV shared my view and put it on heavy rotation."(Chrissy Iley).

Catlin was Director of Photography for ''Elements of Mine'', a film by Egyptian director

Khaled El Hagar Khaled El Hagar is an Egyptian film director. Education He studied law at Cairo University and has worked in film since 1985. His first short film, ''You Are My Life'' (1985), won best film award at the Oberhausen festival. He then completed a p ...

which was awarded First Prize in the Toronto Moving Pictures Festival (MoPix Award 2004). In 2008, drawing together experience from photography, filmmaking and graphic design, he began a project called "The Matrix Series", exploring graphic compositions with complex multi-frame narratives. Each piece was shot as a set of images designed to interact in multiple dimensions, combining elements of time, movement, rhythm, narrative and graphic structure, while remaining within an essentially documentary framework. In his essay "Nine Hastings Photographers" Vasileios Kantas proposes that

"Andrew Catlin's imagery formations could be considered as a study on perception. His matrix suggests a unique syntax, of which the visual elements have been formed partly coincidentally - the subject's actions - and partly in a controllable way - the photographer's decisions. The way the sub-frames are selected and positioned in the matrix is preconceived, though it does not serve the linearity of time which seems to be loosened, if not abolished. The display of the sub-frames allows different reading strategies, seemingly serving many goals simultaneously."

Sean O'Hagan Sean O'Hagan (born 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter who leads the avant-pop band the High Llamas, which he founded in 1992. He is also known for being one half of the songwriting duo (with Cathal Coughlan) in Microdisney and for his wor ...

, photography writer for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', notes

"In his Matrix series, he has somehow merged the rigorously formal with the luminously observational. Whereas the likes of Blossfeldt and the Bechers created visual typologies, arranging plants and industrial water towers respectively in grids that echo the natural and man-made sameness of their subjects, Catlin has used the grid format to render a series of what he calls "critical" moments. The resulting images are both formally detached and acutely observational, ordered yet intimate. ... Andrew Catlin is a photographer with a scientific eye. He is obsessive, meticulous and rigorous, but also a quiet, unobtrusive observer of the everyday sublime. It shines brightly though his big pictures."

In 2021 he produced an exhibition and book of portraits, ''Rebel Song'', exploring the connections of history and faces of Irish music. Excerpts from the book were presented by The Irish Cultural Centre in London, with commentary:

"''Rebel Song; Faces of Irish Music'' is a collection of photographs of some of the most important musicians who changed the face of Irish Music into the international force it is today. With the words of Irish song's, quotes from the musicians, and written commentaries on Irish history and on British colonial rule in Ireland, published throughout – what emerges is a powerful and sublime book which charts the evolution from Irish folk, into rebellious Rock, Pop and Protest Songs and Punk, which burst into the sounds and voice of a nation's resistance and exploded onto a global stage. What's so extraordinary about the book is that its author, photographer Andrew Catlin, is an Englishman, who knew nothing about Irish history at the outset. While producing the book Catlin under-went a journey of discovery to find the connection between Irish music, the history of Ireland, and the passion, power and intensity of some of the greatest Irish songwriters and performers of the last 50 years. Catlin says "Many of the references in Irish songs – people and places that in Ireland carry a heavy weight of history – have no meaning at all in England. You feel the strength of emotion, but unrecognised names seem quaint or unimportant. It can be shocking when you find a familiar song is about a shameful episode of British brutality."

His photography is held in major collections and archives worldwide, ranging from The National Portrait Gallery in London to the Schwules Museum in Berlin.

Exhibitions

*The Diorama (London) - Last Few Days *

Exhibition (London) (1985) * Schwules Museum (Berlin) *

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

Touring Exhibition (international) *

(London) *

The Photographers' Gallery The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography. It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established ...

(London) *

National Portrait Gallery (London) The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

- She Bop (2003) *

- Benjamin's Britain (2006) *

- Four Corners (2007) *

Bodelwyddan Castle Bodelwyddan Castle (), close to the village of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire in Wales, was built around 1460 by the Humphreys family of Anglesey as a manor house. It was associated with the Williams-Wynn family for around 200 years from ...

- Made in 1988 Exhibition (2013) *

Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, officially known as Tullie since July 2024, is a museum in Carlisle, England. Opened by the Carlisle Corporation in 1893, the original building is a converted Jacobean mansion, with extensions added when it ...

- Picture the Poet (Carlisle) (2016) *

Beningbrough Hall Beningbrough Hall is a large Baroque mansion near the village of Beningbrough, North Yorkshire, England, and overlooks the River Ouse. It has baroque interiors, cantilevered stairs, wood carving and central corridors which run the length of t ...

(York) - Making Her Mark (2017) *

- Contemporary Portraits (2019)

Publications

Books: photography credits

*''

: The Official Book'' (1985), paperback *''King Ink'' by

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

(1988), hardcover *''

Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born November 5, 1959) is a British and Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and photographer. He is estimated to have sold between 75 million and more than 100 million album, records and Single (music), si ...

'' by Bryan Adams and Andrew Catlin (1995) *''A Drink with

Shane MacGowan Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (25 December 195730 November 2023) was a British-born Irish singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He won acclaim for his lyrics, whic ...

'' (paperback & hardback) by Shane MacGowan (author), Victoria Mary Clarke (2001) *''Pogue Mahone Kiss My Arse: The Story of the

Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish phrase ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my ...

'' by Carol Clerk (2007) *''It Crawled from the South: An

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

Companion'' by Marcus Gray *''Wire: Everybody Loves a History'' by Kevin S. Eden (1991) *''

'' by Maximilian Dax (1999), hardcover *''Tape Delay: Confessions from the Eighties Underground'' by Charles Neal (2001) *''They're Not Laughing Now'' by Alexander Brattell and Andrew Catlin (2010) *''Vel'' by Andrew Catlin, Susheela Raman and Sam Mills (2011) *''

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

'', by Andrew Catlin,

Jim Reid James McLeish Reid (born 29 December 1961) is a Scottish singer/songwriter and the lead singer for the alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, which he formed with his elder brother and guitarist William Reid (musician), William Reid ...

and Julie Reid (2012) . *''Here Comes Everybody: The Story of

the Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

'', by James Fearnley (2014) *''

Marc Almond Peter Mark Almond (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop/ new wave duo Soft Cell. He has a distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has had a diverse career as a ...

's Visual Tome'', by Ian David Monroe (2014) *''

- Trials of Eyeliner'', by Alex Petridis (2016) *''

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

48'', by Andrew Catlin (2017) *''

Threescore'', by Andrew Catlin (2018) *''Rebel Song: Faces of Irish Music'', by Andrew Catlin (2021) *''A Furious Devotion: The Authorised Story of Shane MacGowan'', by Richard Balls (2021) *''A Drink with

(Italian Edition)'', by Shane MacGowan and Victoria Mary Clarke (2001); paperback (2022) *''The Eternal Buzz and the Crock of Gold'', by Shane MacGowan (2022). Edition of 1000 copies. *''Oh Yeah Yello 40'', by Boris Blank and Dieter Meier (2021)

Record covers: selected photography credits

Filomgraphy

Music videos: director of photography credits

* David Holmes: "69 Police" (2000) *Medal: ‘Porno Song’ (1999) *Medal: ‘Up Here For Hours’ (1999) * Delakota: '555' (1998) * Delakota: 'C’mon Cincinnati' (1998) *Ether: ‘Best Friend’ (1999) *Satellite Beach: ‘Psycho’ (1998) *Ether: ‘She Could Fly’ (1998) *

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

: 'The Angel & The Gambler' (1998) *Radiator: ‘I Am’ (1997) *Ether: ‘If You If Really Want To Know’ (1997) * Naimee Coleman: 'Care About You' (1996) *

Eternal Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...

: 'Secrets' (1996) *Planet Claire: ‘Say’ (1996) *Planet Claire: ‘21’ (1996) * World Domination Enterprises: 'Company News' (1988) * World Domination Enterprises: 'Can't Live Without My Radio' (1988) *

That Petrol Emotion That Petrol Emotion was a London-based rock band formed in 1984 by musicians from Northern Ireland with an American vocalist. They recorded five albums between 1986 and 1994, exploring an eclectic fusion of indie rock, post-punk, garage rock and ...

: 'Detonate' (1993) *

Ed Harcourt Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith (born 14 August 1977) is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released ten studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, '' Here Be Monsters'', was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Pr ...

: 'Black Feathers' (2009) *

William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...

: 'Hello Waveforms' (2006) *

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

Tribute: 'We Are the World' (1997)

Music videos: director credit

* Aref Durvesh: 'Outerindia One' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2009) * Susheela Raman: 'Ganapati' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2001) * Susheela Raman: 'Salt Rain' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2001) * Susheela Raman: 'Maya' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2002) * Susheela Raman: 'Orphea' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2010) * Susheela Raman: 'Tomorrow Never Knows' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2016) * Susheela Raman: 'Annabel' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2018) * Susheela Raman: 'Tanpa Nama' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2018) * Susheela Raman: 'Ghost' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2019) * Susheela Raman: 'Going Down' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2019) * Susheela Raman: 'Spoons' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2019) * Susheela Raman: 'Sphinx' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2019) * Susheela Raman: 'Beautiful Moon' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2019) * Doros Quintet: 'Cherubim' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (2015) *

Deacon Blue Deacon Blue are a Scottish pop rock band formed in Glasgow in 1985. The line-up of the band consists of vocalists Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, keyboard player James Prime, drummer Dougie Vipond, guitarist Gregor Philp and bassist Le ...

: 'Love and Regret' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1989) *

: 'Rainy Night in Soho' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1991) * Kinky Machine: 'Supernatural Giver' (dir: Catlin) (1992) *Fin: "Sweet Obsession" (dir: Catlin) (1992) * Pooka: "City Sick" (dir: Catlin) (1993) *Scalaland: ‘Snow White Lies’ (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1995) *Scalaland: ‘Call Me’ (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1995) *

: 'Please Forgive Me' (dir: Catlin) (1993) *

: 'Straight from the Heart '(5 screen version) (dir: Catlin) (1993) *

: 'Summer of '69' (Live) (dir: Catlin) (1993) *

: 'Run To You' (Live) (dir: Catlin) (1992) *

: 'Into the Fire' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1988) *

: 'When the Night Comes' (dir: Catlin) (1993) *

: 'Cmon Everybody' (dir: Catlin) (1993) *

: 'Let's Make a Night to Remember' (dir: Catlin) (1996) *C.C.: 'All Right' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1995) *C.C.: 'Beautiful' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1995) *C.C. 'Shelter' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1995) *C.C.: 'Roots Scared' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1995) *Linda Eder 'From This Moment On' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1989) *

: 'Blue Moon' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1988) *

Green on Red Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen p ...

'The Quarter' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1989) *

'Little Things' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1989) *

'Arrested' (dir/DOP: Catlin) (1989)

Music longforms / concerts

*Bryan Adams: ‘When The Night Comes’ (Live) (dir: Catlin) *Susheela Raman: ‘The Queen Elizabeth Hall’ (Live) 2012 (dir: Catlin) *Susheela Raman: ‘Barbican’ (Live) 2017 (dir: Catlin) *Susheela Raman: ‘Souq Waqif’ (Recording) 2019 (dir: Catlin) *Susheela Raman: ‘Montpellier’ (Live) 2019 (dir: Catlin)

Films and documentaries: directing credits

*Bryan Adams: Waking Up the World CBC Documentary (1993) (dir: Catlin) *Bryan Adams: Waking Up The World DVD Release (2003) (dir: Catlin)

Films and documentaries: director of photography credits

* Elements of Mine: (dir:

/Norbert Servos) ** Winner First Prize – Moving Pictures Festival, Toronto (MoPix Award 2004) * Gumball 3000: documentary of First European rally/race. (1999) (dir. Simon Hilton)

Collections

, London: 22 prints (as of 19 June 2023)

References

External links

*
National Portrait GallerySummer of 69Artnetf-ish Exhibition ReviewIrish Cultural Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catlin, Andrew 1960 births Living people Photographers from London British documentary photographers Alumni of St Cuthbert's Society, Durham Alumni of University College London