EXHIBITION

150 original photographs and film clips, that

capture over 40 years of cultural, political
and economic shifts in North East England.

Cover image: Girl on a spacehopper, Byker, 1974 by Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen

Image above: WH Douglas, gents hairdresser, Raby Street, Byker, 1974 by
Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen.

27 JUNE - 19 SEPTEMBER 2015

Laing Art Gallery
New Bridge Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8AG
FREE
Opening hours:
Tues-Sat (10am-5pm) Sun (2pm-5pm)

FILM SCREENINGS
Sunday 12 July | 3pm
SEACOAL + GLASSWORKS
(1985, 83 mins & 1977, 20 mins)

Sunday 23 August | 3pm

LIKE FATHER
(2001, 95 mins)

Feature drama exploring mens lives in East Durham in

Ambers first feature drama, made with the seacoaling
community at Lynemouth, Northumberland + GLASSWORKS a the aftermath of pit closure + HIGH ROW (1973, 33 mins)
documenting a small drift mine above the South Tyne Valley.
documentary about industrial glassblowing at Lemington.

Wednesday 15 July | 5.45pm

IN FADING LIGHT + LAUNCH

Wednesday 26 August | 5.45pm

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

(1989, 103 mins & 1973, 10 mins,)

(2008, 90 mins)

Feature drama about the North Shields fishing industry

+ LAUNCH documenting the launch of World Unicorn at
Wallsend.

A documentary about Amber founder Murray Martin, who died

in 2007 + MAYBE (1969, 10 mins) the Murray Martins student
film which became Ambers first work.

Sunday 26 July | 3pm

DREAM ON

Sunday 27 September| 3pm

BYKER

(1991, 115 mins)

(1983, 53 mins)

Magical realist feature drama exploring the lives of a womens

darts team on North Shields Meadow Well Estate.

A celebration of a working class community of terraced

streets on the edge of destruction based around Sirkka-Liisa
Konttinens photographs + TODAY IM WITH YOU (2010, 54
mins) Sirkka-Liisa Konttinens return to Byker Wall Estate to
create a portrait of its new communities.

Wednesday 29 July | 5.45pm

EDEN VALLEY
(1995, 95 mins)

Feature drama made with the harness racing (trotting)

community in County Durham

Wednesday 30 September | 5.45pm

FROM US TO ME
(2015, 85 mins, 5.45pm)

Wednesday 5 August | 5.45pm

THE WRITING IN THE SAND

Ambers return to the former East German fishing and

shipbuilding town of Rostock, which, in 1987, it documented
as From Marks & Spencer to Marx and Engels.

A documentary about the life on NE beaches constructed

from Sirkka-Liisa Konttinens photographs + LETTERS TO
KATJA (1994, 57 mins) documenting Sirkka-Liisa Konttinens
return to Finland.

Book online at: www.tynesidecinema.co.uk .

Tyneside Cinema, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 6QG . 0191 227 5500

(1991, 45 mins)

CONFERENCE

FUTURE PRESENCE
Documentary Practices & Possibilities
A two day conference organised by Newcastle
Universitys Institute for Creative Arts
Practice and Amber Film & Photography
Collective.
Contact mel.whewell@ncl.ac.uk for more information or
to register your interest.
Image: Weardale, County Durham, 1995 by Jindrich Streit

10 - 11 JULY 2015
Friday 10 July:
Past Practices: Context and Critique
Saturday 11 July:
Contemporary Practices: Openings
and New Opportunities
Room B32
Barbara Strang Teaching Centre
Newcastle University

CONFERENCE ITINERY:
Friday 10 July

Past Practices: Context and Critique

Morning Session
9.30 - 10.00
10.00 10.05

Registration and Refreshments

Welcome and Introductions
Professor Eric Cross, Director, Newcastle University Institute for Creative Arts
Practice & Dr Ian McDonald, Senior Lecturer in Film Practice, Newcastle
University & documentary filmmaker

10.05 10.15

Overview: Graeme Rigby, Amber Films & Photography Collective

10.15 - 10.45

PHOTOGRAPHY: Presentation by Ian Macdonald

(Greatham Creek, Tees Estuary, Blast Furnace)

10.45 - 11.15

PHOTOGRAPHY: Presentation by Keith Pattison (Easington August 1984)

11.15 12.15
12.15 1.00

Panel Discussion and Q&A with Ian Macdonald, Keith Pattison; Graeme Rigby
Screening: Writing in the Sand (Amber Films, 1991, 45 mins),

13.00 13.30

Lunch

Afternoon Session
13.30 - 14.30

14.30 - 15.00

Screening: Handsworth Songs, (Black Audio 1986, 61 mins),

15.00 - 15.30

FILM: Black Audio presentation on its 80s work/workshop movement

production.
John Akomfrah & Lina Gopaul, Smoking Dogs Films

15.30 - 16.00

Panel Q&A: Ellin Hare, John Akomfrah & Lina Gopaul; Ian McDonald (chair)

16.00 16.15

16.15 - 16.30

Refreshments

16.30 - 17.15

Researching Amber - The promise of an oppositional arts: the enduring

relevance of the Amber Collective
Robert Hollands, Professor of Sociology, Newcastle University
John Vail, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Newcastle University

17.30

Close

FILM: Amber presentation on its 80s work/workshop movement production

Ellin Hare, Amber Films & Photography Collective

Panel of the Documented

A discussion with individuals whose lives and communities have been
documented in films and photography projects linked to works held in
the AmberSide Collection. Ellin Hare (chair)

Saturday 11 July Contemporary Practices: Openings and New Opportunities

Morning Session
9.30 - 10.00

Refreshments

10.00 - 10.30

Developing documentary practice & pedagogy: The role of the University

Ian McDonald, Senior Lecturer in Film Practice, Newcastle University &
documentary filmmaker

10.30 - 12.00

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO: Verso Images presentation of Grozny: Nine Cities

Olga Kravets, Maria Morina, Anna Shpakova, Oksana Yushko, Verso Images.
Followed by Panel Q&A chaired by Graeme Rigby, Amber Film & Photography
Collective

12.00 12.30

Lunch

12.30 - 14.00
12.30 13.00:

13.00 14.00

Option 1: Screenings
Student Short Docs: A series of short docs produced by MA Media students at
Newcastle University.
Today Im With You (Amber Films, 2010, 53 mins)

12.30 14.00:

Option 2: Guided Tour

Guided tour of the For Ever Amber exhibition at the Laing Art Gallery.
(15min walk from conference venue)

Afternoon Session
14.15 - 14.45
FILM: Presentation by Amber of From Us To Me

Ellin Hare, Amber Films & Photography Collective (chair)

14.45 - 15.45
Panel Discussion - the use of archive works in contemporary documentary

Ellin Hare, Graeme Rigby, Amber Films & Photography Collective (chairs)

with John Akomfrah & Lina Gopaul, Smoking Dogs Films
15.45 16.00

Refreshments

16.00 - 16.45

Open discussion on future possibilities for documentary practice

Ian McDonald and Peter Taylor (Director, Berwick Film & Media-Arts Festival)

17.00

Close