Zoe Hamill’s work in Dear Earth at Kirkcaldy Galleries | Photography © Lydia Smith
Zoe Hamill
These photographs by Zoe Hamill form part of an ongoing project within the shale bings habitat of West Lothian. These piles of industrial waste were once seen as eyesores but are now recognised as unique habitats for endangered species and are a familiar local landmark.
Zoe Hamill uses redundant film and technology, and ‘broken’ cameras to produce her imagery. The grain on the surface, or scratches and overexposures in the images, are the result of primitive lenses and aged film chemicals, or where rusted components and grit have scratched the surface of the film, giving the images a unique atmosphere.
Biography
Zoe Hamill is a photographer from County Antrim, now living in Edinburgh. She is interested in the relationship between humans and the environment, as well as the systems of classification that we use to make sense of the world around us.
Hamill’s work has been exhibited in the UK and Europe and was recently included in Fantasy Island (Rotten Books, 2025), a publication documenting the last 50 years of photography in Ireland. She is currently carrying out a Darkroom Garden Residency at Craigmillar Now, and is working with ArtWalk Porty on a project exploring medicinal plants and photographic processes. Hamill is part of the FUTURES European photography platform, nominated by PhotoIreland, and features in their 2025 international touring exhibition Metamorphosis. She has received funding from Edinburgh City Council and the Richard & Siobhan Coward Foundation, and her work is held in the collection of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Hamill is also a freelance photography educator and teaches an education programme for young people facing barriers to engaging with the arts at Stills Centre for Photography.