Canal Boat Lives by Gill Shaw
Canal Boat Lives came from a commission in 2022 from ‘This England’ magazine who asked me for a four-page spread depicting the lives of people living and working on our waterways. I had no idea where to start so I contacted the RBOA Residential Boat Owners Association who were really helpful and they put me in contact with Judy Head, Judy has been my life saver as she is so knowledgeable about the history of our canals. We met on her boat in Little Venice, and I was completely hooked from that minute onwards, if any of you have not been on a canal boat then you have really missed out.
But like everything I do once I started this project it took on a life of its own and I thought why only take a few photos for the magazine, why not keep going and produce an exhibition as I was really intrigued to learn more about canal boats and the truly lovely people who live on them, some of them work in or around the area that they live, others travel extensively round the world for work and use their boat as their base.
Canal boats are a place of solace and peace amongst a unique community that understands the pressure of being part of an international, multi-time-zoned workforce. As you can see the photographs I have taken and the stories which go alongside are all fun and uplifting and show the wonder of our historic waterways.
When I contacted Amberley Publishing, they were really interested in the whole concept of Canal Boat Lives. Published in November 2023 it will be on sale at each exhibition I put on around the country:
Shrewsbury Art Museum 2nd – 30th January 2024
BoatLife at NEC Birmingham 15-18th February
Foxton Locks, Leicestershire 16th March-8th April
London - Marylebone Art Space, St Marylebone Parish Church, 17 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LT 11th July – 28th August
Theatre Seven, Shrewsbury 3rd Sept to 30th November 2024
Gill Shaw's book Canal Boat Lives is available for purchase now.