Arts
This episode is dedicated to the work of the late British documentary photographer Tish Murtha, whose work can currently be seen at The Photographer's Gallery in London. The Tish Murtha: Works 1976-1991 exhibition covers 6 bodies of work; Newport Pub (1976/78); Elswick Kids (1978); Juvenile Jazz Bands (1979); Youth Unemployment (1980); London by Night (1983) and Elswick Revisited (1987 – 1991). Tish Murtha was a photographer from the north east of England, whose work has only recently started receiving the recognition I think it deserves. Sadly Murtha died in 2013, aged just 56, but her daughter Ella has done a fantastic job of getting her mother's photographic archive out there, including getting two books published through kickstarter. Murtha concentrated on documenting the working class and the marginalised, mainly communities around Newcastle upon Tyne and the North East of England. She wasn't documenting from the outside, she was documenting from the inside, and that's why her photos are so successful. She manages to evoke empathy without becoming sentimental. Apologies to any Geordies if I've been mispronouncing 'Elswick' - I believe it may be a silent W! Do visit Tish Murtha's website, run by her daughter Ella. You can now buy the book of her series Youth Unemployment, or help fund the publication of Elswish Kids via Kickstarter. There's an interesting 5-minute video of the curators talking about the exhibition. You can find some of the photos discussed on our Pinterest page for this episode. PhotoChilli theme music courtesy of DJ Quads.