Paper given at the event ‘Hags Unlimited, Damsels Undistressed: Taking Photographs and Liberties in 1970s and 80s Britain’ organised by Photography and the Archive Research Centre, London College of Communication
Inspired by the energy of the Women’s Liberation Movement, women in photography in 1970s and ‘80s Britain sought to make their place both within and beyond the established gallery system. Their work challenged stereotypical depictions of women as homemakers and consumers being put forward in advertising, newspapers and magazines at the time. This event will bring together research being carried out on this period and key photographers including Rosy Martin talking in person about about her work, Jo Spence’s experimental work as a portrait photographer in her high-street studio, the Greenham Common women who confounded picture editors by being ‘at protest’ and ‘in peace’, and gender and Cockpit Arts.
Convened by Sara Davidmann, Patrizia di Bello and Noni Stacey.
Talks throughout the afternoon:
‘Disrupting everyday stories – that minefield of memory’
Rosy Martin
Cinderella in a Shoebox: Jo Spence Notebook Photographs
Dr Patrizia di Bello, Lecturer in the History and Theory of Photography, Birkbeck, University of London
Embracing Feminism: Thinking Photography through Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp
Laura Guy, PhD Candidate, Manchester School of Art
On Yer Bikes Boys: Work with Gender at Cockpit Arts
Anthony Luvera, artist, writer and teacher, Photography BA Course Leader, Coventry University
In Conversation:
Dr Sara Davidmann, Senior Research Fellow, PARC, LCC
Documentary:
Angry Wimmin, on the feminists and separatists of the 1970s, a film by Vanessa Engle, for BBC TV series Lefties. (Courtesy of Vanessa Engle, BBC)
In association with the UAL Gender and Sexuality Research Forum and UAL Communities of Practice, and Birkbeck, University of London
Laura Guy writes about art, photography and queer culture 