UK WOMEN British Women Photography between Social Criticism and Identity

House Clearances aims to explore what cannot be seen in front of the camera. The objects and furniture which appear in the photographs are merely traces of human activity. This series of photographs seeks to address themes of absence, loss and grief. The photographs focus on British House Clearances from the 1970’s and aim to investigate domestic spaces in-between habitual use and in a state of transition. The overarching significance of the house and home has been extensively researched and represented by historical and contemporary photographers and visual artists. This series also investigates the passage of time, which circles back to the relevance of the photographic medium itself.

This series of photographs was made possible with help from Essex council to access the social housing properties. It was important to capture the domestic spaces uninterrupted and not to change or alter the objects or furniture in any way. This was an important part of the process as it allowed me to capture a sense of liminal space, one that is in-between habitual use and in a state of transition. The rooms are suspended in time giving an impression of stillness and emptiness. The identity of the occupants remains anonymous.

The research output here is a wider photographic exhibition which I was invited to be a part of. The exhibition is titled ‘UK Women: British Women Photography between Social Criticism and Identity’ featuring 28 British photographers. The exhibition addresses how the medium of photography has developed since the 1970’s and focuses on themes of social critique, migration, gender identity, community and loss. The exhibition was in collaboration with IKS Photo and Ludwiggalerie Schloss Oberhausen in Germany and attracted over 5,000 visitors. An exhibition of British photography from a female perspective has never been shown in Germany before, so it is of particular cultural significance impacting the local community in Oberhausen.

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