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Tish Murtha

RoyReed

RoyReed

Must fly!
Nice exhibition of Tish Murtha's documentary photography from the late '70s and '80s at the Photographer's Gallery. (Free entry before 12.00 noon.)

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Interesting work she did and good that it is getting exposure, I would have liked to have been able to see the exhibition, I also like the simple clean framing of the prints.
 
I popped in to the PG today and looked at some of her books but I'll check out the exhibition next week. Looks great.
 
They were very worthwhile the photo projects she did, but I can't help wondering how she earned money in order to pay her bills? Does anyone have any ideas how it works?
 
weltweit said:
They were very worthwhile the photo projects she did, but I can't help wondering how she earned money in order to pay her bills? Does anyone have any ideas how it works?
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She studied photography in Newport (on a grant and her first series was taken while she was herself on a job scheme at a gallery, who also commissioned her.

Tish Murtha - Wikipedia
True Grit Exhibition Information

Nowadays getting hold of the kit to do this sort of thing is much cheaper - the exhibition has the receipt for her OM-1 camera, around £250, which was a shitload of money - and distribution can be done digitally, but I can't help thinking that she wouldn't have been able to go study photography at all nowadays, and there is no money for documentary photography projects. You need to be able to spend time not doing a "real job" and that is increasingly less possible when rents are so high.
 
I went to see this today, great stuff. I didn't know it was on, I just had a bit of spare time and popped in. So it was an added bonus seeing something about Newcastle :cool:

Her essay that accompanies the Newcastle stuff that's also on display was fairly grim reading though :(
 
Ooh this looks good..... I'd like to get up to this, anyone know when its on until?
 
I saw this today. A really interesting insight into her background and the way she worked. It's well worth a watch if you get a chance.

weltweit said:
They were very worthwhile the photo projects she did, but I can't help wondering how she earned money in order to pay her bills? Does anyone have any ideas how it works?
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This is mentioned in the film. Some projects had funding which was enough to get by and in later life she had various jobs not related to photography. It's a shame she wasn't able to make a success of it really as she was clearly very talented.
 
Saw it tonight. Agree it was a very good survey of her life. I felt the way she expressed herself in writing was just as striking and powerful as her photographs.

Oh and when thatcher was on screen she got booed!!
 
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I saw the film on Wednesday and found it very moving. Thanks this thread RoyReed for introducing me to her work, I went to that exhibition at the photographers gallery on your recommendation and it was one of those that has stayed with me.
 
Saunders said:
I saw the film on Wednesday and found it very moving. Thanks this thread RoyReed for introducing me to her work, I went to that exhibition at the photographers gallery on your recommendation and it was one of those that has stayed with me.
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Glad you liked her work. I never actually met her, although I did know some of the other people at Amber/Side Gallery, particularly Graham Smith whose sofa I slept on for a week back in 1975 while I was doing some photography in Newcastle.
 
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