Discover the stories behind Byker, the iconic photography series capturing working class Britain
Join photographer and filmmaker Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen as she shares the powerful stories behind Byker, the iconic photo series featured in Photo City, and the inspiration for the cult hit-film Billy Elliot. Recognised by UNESCO for its ‘outstanding national value and importance,’ Byker documents the working-class lives affected by the redevelopment of Newcastle’s East End in the 1960s.
In an insightful conversation, Francesca Bibby, co-curator of Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World at V&A Dundee, will explore the legacy of Byker and its important role in the exhibition.
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Special screenings of the films that accompanied the Byker photo series will be shown before and after this event. These are drop-in screenings and do not require a ticket. Click here for more details.
Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World is on until Sunday 27th October.
About the speakers:
Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, co-founder of the Amber Film and Photography Collective, is a Finnish-British photographer who has worked in Britain since the 1960s. Konttinen's series Byker (1969–1983) and Writing in the Sand (1978–1998) document the lives affected by Newcastle’s East End redevelopments. Today, this body of work is inscribed in the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register as being of ‘outstanding national value and importance to the United Kingdom', a profound account of working class and marginalised communities. This series became a heavy influence in Lee Hall's development and writing for his play Dancer, which later became the cult coming-of-age film Billy Elliot.
Francesca Bibby is a Project Curator at V&A Dundee and a member of the Photo City: How Images Shape the Urban World curatorial team. Her writings cover bioart, more-than-human design, and future materials. Her independent research explores climate resilience and the development of sustainable design methodologies through nature-based solutions, traditional knowledge, and collaborations across art, science, design and technology.
