Image Recovery & Manipulation

International Brigades

An art-led memorial project exploring the International Brigades and the volunteers from Hull who travelled to Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

The work transforms damaged photocopies of historic newspaper articles from the 1920s and 1930s into a series of restored and manipulated digital images. These were developed into a moving-image piece that transitions between the original archival material and the final artwork, accompanied by songs associated with the Spanish Civil War.

The project began with historical research into the Spanish Civil War, the International Brigades and the Hull volunteers who fought against fascism. Original newspaper material was available only as aged and degraded photocopies, requiring extensive cleaning, reconstruction and image manipulation in Photoshop.

The restored source material was then developed into a series of contemporary memorial images. A final video documents the transition from the original archival fragments to the completed artworks, using Spanish Civil War songs to connect the visual material with its historical and political context.

The work was subsequently exhibited at an International Brigades festival near Barcelona, placing the project within a public commemorative setting beyond its original academic context.

Skills shown
Archival image restoration, Photoshop manipulation, photographic editing, digital collage, visual research, historical research, memorial art, art direction, moving-image editing, sound and image sequencing, exhibition presentation and Adobe Creative Cloud.

A person wearing a hoodie made of words related to social activism, with words such as 'Caspere', 'Scholar', 'Socialist', 'Brigade', and 'Freedom' in various shades of red, purple, and yellow, with a black background and the name 'Morris Miller' with a red triangle logo at the bottom left.
A word cloud in the shape of a person’s head composed of words related to activism, social issues, and personal qualities, with a color gradient from yellow to purple and a black background. The bottom left corner has a red arrow icon and the name 'Joe Latus'.
A portrait made of words in various colors including red, yellow, purple, and white. The words form the shape of a person's head and shoulders. The words include names and terms such as 'Feminist,' 'Radio Operator,' 'Refugee,' 'Teacher,' and many others. In the bottom left corner, there is a red logo and the name 'Frida Stewart.'
A portrait made of words in various shades from purple to yellow, including words like 'HUSBAND,' 'FIGHTER,' 'BRIGADER,' 'ACTIVIST,' 'SOCIALIST,' and 'FREEDOM,' against a black background with the name 'ROBERT WARDLE' and a red logo in the bottom left corner.
A heart-shaped word collage with words like 'fighter,' 'resist,' 'freedom,' and 'campaign' in various colors on a black background, and the name 'Sam Walters' with a red arrow pointing to it in the bottom left corner.
A book cover featuring a light bulb shape filled with words like 'soldier,' 'hero,' 'father,' 'Husband,' 'friend,' 'activist,' 'league,' 'sargasso,' 'corporation,' 'fields,' 'social,' 'freedom,' 'fighter,' 'caspe,' and 'engineer' in various colors. The title at the bottom is "Decent 'Leslie' Wilson" with a red triangular logo.
A portrait created with words related to activism, war, peace, and military service, shaped in the silhouette of a person's head against a black background.
A word cloud shaped like a skull with words related to labor, activism, and history in various shades of red, yellow, purple, and pink, set against a black background. The bottom left corner shows the name "James Bentley" with a red triangular logo.
Word cloud shaped like a human head with words such as 'hero,' 'soldier,' 'activist,' 'rights,' 'revolt,' and 'revolution,' with the name 'John 'Jack' Atkinson' and a red triangular symbol below.
A heart shape made of words related to social activism, work, and social issues, with a black background and a red star with the name Clive Smith beneath it.
People dressed in historical military uniforms and civilian clothing standing outside a building with a sign indicating information. There are colorful trash bins and a display of historical items. The scene appears to be a historical reenactment or outdoor event.
A textured white wall with a collection of framed posters and images, including revolutionary and political themes, with a yellow armchair nearby and a small wooden side table.