British Culture Archive: Documenting Your Community

Brighton Photo Fringe, 2024

Launched in collaboration with The Tish Murtha Archive, ‘Documenting Your Community’ is our annual open showcase that invites photographers of all levels to be inspired by Tish Murtha’s work and take photographs of their communities, capturing life in contemporary Britain. Tish’s work was intimate and non-judgemental, and her community was always at the heart of her artistic output.

The Documenting Your Community exhibition will showcase the highlights from the hundreds of submissions we received when the project was launched in October 2023. We are delighted to have it on show at Brighton Photo Fringe for the first time. In addition to the work from the Documenting The Community project, BCA will exhibit a gallery of Tish Murtha’s celebrated work as part of the Brighton Exhibition.

Tish Murtha

Photographer Tish Murtha documented her home community of Elswick in the West End of Newcastle during the 1970s and 1980s. This period was characterised by significant social change, as mass de-industrialisation in the UK left many inner-city communities dealing with the social impact of job losses and lack of employment opportunities.

Tish Murtha’s images of those on the margins of society challenged and documented the inequalities faced by working-class communities. In equal measures, they celebrated what it means to be working-class. Being part of the community she was documenting, Tish Murtha’s work is among some of the most empathetic and powerful examples of social documentary photography of the 20th century.

Documenting Your Community

Throughout October, people can also submit their work for 2024s documenting your community; the highlights of submissions will be displayed on our social media accounts and website, with an exhibition to follow in 2025. You don’t need to be a professional photographer—we’d love to see photos that capture your local shopkeeper or people in the park or pub.

This is an amazing platform for photographers and upcoming photographers who wish to get their work out to a worldwide audience. We welcome submissions from all, regardless of experience or age, and look forward to reviewing them.