Documentary practices and working-class culture: an interview with Murray Martin (Amber films and side photographic gallery)

Abstract

Amber Films was formed as a collective of filmmakers and photographers in the late 1960s (with the Side Photographic Gallery founded in 1977). The aim the group was to creatively document working class culture in the North East of England through film and photography. The first part of the paper offers a brief introduction to the work of Amber/Side as it has developed over a thirty-year period. It situates the film and photographic work in its social and political context, and discusses the collaborative approach to documentary practice the group developed.The second part of the paper is an edited interview with Murray Martin, one of the founding members the group. The interview covers a range of issues including the motivations behind the formation of the group, the relationship of photographic practice politics, and the aesthetics of documentary.