The new British photography 1967 - 1981
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Arts London
Department Name: London College of Communication
Abstract
The resurgence of British art and documentary photography in the late 1960s and early 1970s was made possible by the emergence of a framework for the exhibiting and publishing of creative photography from the 1950s onwards. While this study focuses on the shifts in photographic practice, curation, distribution and dissemination from 1967-1981, it also gives attention to developments, organisations and individuals active from 1950-1967.
The history of the New British Photography is complex, contested and vivid. Its roots are in the growth of state subsidy to the arts, reforms in Art and Design Higher Education, radical politics, fine print aesthetics, popular culture, mass media and independent publishing. It is characterized by youth, energy and the rejection of the status quo.
It is a history of a time when photography gained new confidence, in which groupings of young photographers, curators and editors challenged the establishment. It is a history of almost forgotten events and initiatives, seminar series which changed the way we look at the medium, commissions which provided starting points for emerging photographers and publications which began important debates. This project aims to retrieve these histories and provide a coherent body of research for dissemination and discussion.
The history of the New British Photography is complex, contested and vivid. Its roots are in the growth of state subsidy to the arts, reforms in Art and Design Higher Education, radical politics, fine print aesthetics, popular culture, mass media and independent publishing. It is characterized by youth, energy and the rejection of the status quo.
It is a history of a time when photography gained new confidence, in which groupings of young photographers, curators and editors challenged the establishment. It is a history of almost forgotten events and initiatives, seminar series which changed the way we look at the medium, commissions which provided starting points for emerging photographers and publications which began important debates. This project aims to retrieve these histories and provide a coherent body of research for dissemination and discussion.