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44:(1960s–1980s), the Hackney Flashers are an example of collectives prevalent in the latter half of the 20th century that worked to raise consciousness of social or political issues relevant to the times. This group's original aim was to make visible the invisible and document women's work in the home and outside of it, helping to make the case for childcare and show the complex social and economic issues of women and childcare.
60:, East London. A woman designer and an illustrator, a writer and an editor also joined the group. Members were engaged in a variety of occupations at a professional level: university teaching, community photography, freelance photojournalism and publishing; some were active trade unionists. In 1975 the collective was consolidated when it adopted the name Hackney Flashers.
106:. One of the aims of the group was to uncover what was hidden (hence ‘Flashers’). This was true of the many images of women at work (rarely recorded at the time) in the first exhibition and the complications of juggling childcare and work in the second. The works were conceived as campaigning and educational.
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The collective split up in the early 80s citing political differences and the wish to work on other projects. Members of the
Collective continued to develop their own careers or engage in new fields. Sally Greenhill worked as a photojournalist, Liz Heron worked as a journalist and literary translator
68:
From the start the
Flashers’ output was distributed as the work of a collective; the group credited their works to the ‘Hackney Flashers Collective’ rather than to individual photographers. It was a political decision that individual names were never listed, specific images or writing never credited.
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The group’s purpose and politics grew and developed over time – not without internal conflict and dissent. Members came from differing class backgrounds and political stances. Some were of the left, others emerging feminists. The group's feminist practice was reflected in their tactics of working as
92:
Others associated with the group were Helen Grace, Maggie
Millman, Jini Rawlings, Ruth Barrenbaum, Nanette Salomon, Arlene Strasberg and Chris Treweek. Neil Martinson was a founding member and the main point of contact between the group and Hackney Trades Council. He left the group in November 1975.
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recounts that "the group's nine women members began to study the use of photography within the capitalist system and to present alternatives. They played a decisive part in establishing a context within which women workers from different cultural fields could work together in pursuit of a collective
109:
The second exhibition also engaged with issues of representation, of subverting imagery and the difficulty of visually showing a lack. Val
Williams notes that "The eclectic use of graphics, of cartooning and of advertisements began a process which took photography out of its traditional limits and
160:
when producing montages. These were used alongside a series of photographs documenting Market
Nursery in Hackney. The lightweight, laminated panels were ideal for use in non-gallery settings and, as well as the photographs, included colour illustrations and montages. Its first showing was at
110:
re-established it as a medium of cohesive political propaganda." Both exhibitions were intended for use in community centres, schools, trades union gatherings and every sort of alternative venue. The panels appeared in town halls, health centres, at conferences, in libraries and at the
132:(1975). This exhibit of B/W photographs and hand-written text acknowledged the hidden contribution women made to the economy and was a strong statement for equal pay. It was basic in concept and execution, but was well received and much used. It started its public life in
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a small group outside of institutions like academia. They worked on bringing personal and domestic issues into the public sphere. They would meet in each other's homes. The dynamic of the group is documented in Liz Heron’s article, "Who’s still holding the camera?" in
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494:"Who’s still holding the camera?" (1979) Liz Heron. In Photography Politics: One Photography Workshop; London; republished as "Quién se ocupa de la cámara?" in Fotografía y activismo (2006), ed. Jorge Luis Marzo, Editorial Gustavo Gili, Barcelona
56:
and Neil
Martinson were searching for women photographers to produce an exhibition on Women and Work for Hackney Trades Council – part of a trade union event celebrating 75 years of union activity in
693:, 2005, on occasion of exhibition at Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona 27 October 2005 – 15 January 2006. Published Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona. Curators Jorge Ribalta and Terry Dennett
156:(1978) The second exhibition was more sophisticated in its thinking and style. A designer and an illustrator had joined the group; the collective experimented at workshops and studied the work of
125:
The
Hackney Flashers Collective produced three main bodies of work, although there were other experimental pieces, including montages, which were made in the group’s occasional creative workshops
601:, 2005, on occasion of exhibition at Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona 27 October 2005 – 15 January 2006. Published Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, pp. 20–21 and pp. 147–169.
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Beyond the initial showing of the work, the projects by the
Hackney Flashers have been included in several major exhibitions in recent years. These have included but are not limited to:
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Exhibition text of 'Who's Still
Holding the Baby? Hackney Flashers 1978' Exhibition at The Women's Art Library, Goldsmiths University of London, curated by Dr Hazel Frizell.
171:(1980) An education pack (24 slides and a booklet) using the work of the Hackney Flashers; and intended to encourage student’s active, critical participation in the issues.
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The collective also functioned as a co-operative, skill-sharing experience for women working in the media, who at that time had a very low profile and were often isolated.
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Dring, Julie (2014): Who were the
Hackney Flashers? The history and importance of a British Feminist Collective, 1974-1980. Toronto Metropolitan University. Thesis.
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193:. An Dekker formed a collective of women graphic designers. Informal contact and collaboration between many of the Flashers went on for many years and continues.
185:; Maggie Murray (with Val Wilmer) set up Format Photographers – a women's photo agency; Christine Roche continued as a cartoonist/illustrator and taught at the
485:, Hackney Town Hall, 20 Sept-2 Oct Pamphlet published by Hackney Trades Council (1975). Foreword by Terry McCarthy, Curator, National Museum of Labour History
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and is the author of fiction and non-fiction books; Michael Ann Mullen became Photography Officer at the GLC and later lectured in history of photography at
165:, Hackney. It toured to many parts of the country and was, controversially, included in, ‘Three Perspectives on Photography’, at the Hayward Gallery in 1979
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Jo Spence, Oral History of British Photography, The British Library sound recordings archive, recording Recording date: 1991.03; 1991.04 Wembley, London
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Jo Spence, Oral History of British Photography, The British Library sound recordings archive, recorded March and April 1991, Wembley, London.
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The work of the Hackney Flashers has been noted in histories of photography and of the art practices of collage and montage.
189:; Jo Spence produced books and exhibitions on health and representation. She died in 1992. Julia Vellacott was an editor at
761:
461:, An Arts Council Collection exhibition, Caroline Douglas and Jill Constantine, Hayward Publishing (London, 2011), p. 16.
318:, Walker, John A. (London and New York: I .B. Tauris, 2002), p. 138, and "Who's Still Holding the Camera" Liz Heron in
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at Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona 27 October 2005 – 15 January 2006, Curators Jorge Ribalta and Terry Dennett.
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Exhibition at The Women's Art Library, Goldsmiths University of London, 1–30 June 2012, curated by Dr Hazel Frizell.
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This may have led to later confusion about who was in the Hackney Flashers and who worked on the different projects.
136:, appeared at a Socialist Feminist International Conference in Paris (1977) and was hung in many venues in between.
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675:, An Arts Council Collection exhibition, Caroline Douglas and Jill Constantine, Hayward Publishing (London, 2011).
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when it was selected by curator John Tagg to be included in the 'Three Perspectives of Photography' in 1979.
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Exhibition at The Women's Art Library, Goldsmiths University of London, by Dr Hazel Frizell, p. 3, and
248:, An Arts Council Touring Exhibition, Middlesbrough, Woking, Walsall, Lincoln, Aberystwyth, Carlisle,
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exhibition catalogue, Matthew Higgs and Paul Noble (Whitechapel Art Gallery, 2000), p. 46.
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Terry Dennett did not join the group, but came to one or two meetings as an observer.
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274:(1979). Catalogue of Arts Council of Great Britain exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.
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338:. Photography Workshop; London; republished as ‘Quién se ocupa de la cámara?’ in
76:, Sally Greenhill, Gerda Jager, Liz Heron, Michael Ann Mullen, Maggie Murray,
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Jo Spence: Beyond the Perfect Image, Photography, Subjectivity, Antagonism
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Jo Spence: Beyond the Perfect Image, Photography, Subjectivity, Antagonism
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Jo Spence: Beyond the Perfect Image, Photography, Subjectivity, Antagonism
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Women’s Art Slide Library, Goldsmiths Library, Hackney Flashers box file
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The Other Observers: Women Photographers in Britain 1900 to the present
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The Other Observers: Women Photographers in Britain 1900 to the present
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The Other Observers: Women Photographers in Britain 1900 to the present
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The Other Observers: Women Photographers in Britain 1900 to the present
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and Julia Vellacott. In her history of women photographers in Britain,
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473:, Walker, John A. (London and New York: I .B. Tauris, 2002), p. 244.
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in the 1970s and early 1980s. Working in the United Kingdom during
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In 2014, former members of the group launched a Hackney Flashers
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699:"Surveyors and Surveyed", Price, Derrick, in Wells, Liz (ed.),
561:"Surveyors and Surveyed", Price, Derrick, in Wells, Liz (ed.),
342:(2006), ed. Jorge Luis Marzo, Editorial Gustavo Gili, Barcelona
565:(London and New York: Routledge, 2004, Third Edition), p. 106.
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Hackney Flashers Collective (1980). "Who's Holding the Baby".
681:, Walker, John A. (London and New York: I .B. Tauris, 2002).
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577:, Caroline Douglas and Jill Constantine (2011), pp. 15–16.
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75 Years of Brotherhood: 1900–1975 Trades Union Exhibition
381:, Williams, Val (London: Virago Press, 1986), pp. 172–173.
334:"Who’s still holding the camera?" (1979) Liz Heron. In
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The group's origins go back to 1974 when photographers
703:(London and New York: Routledge, 2004, Third Edition).
506:, Williams, Val (London: Virago Press, 1986), p. 173.
449:, Williams, Val, (London: Virago Press, 1986), p174.
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Who's Still Holding the Baby? Hackney Flashers 1978
424:, Juliet Mitchell, Penguin Books, 1971, p. 59. and
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Who's Still Holding the Baby? Hackney Flashers 1978
212:, curated by artists Matthew Higgs and Paul Noble
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exhibition by The Hackney Flashers Collective, 1978
518:, "Three Perspectives on Photography" (1979). In
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246:Transmitter Receiver: The Persistence of Collage
634:, Caroline Douglas and Jill Constantine (2011).
322:(1986), Jo Spence, Camden Press; London, p. 68.
305:(1986), Jo Spence, Camden Press; London, p. 66.
687:, Williams, Val (London: Virago Press, 1986).
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550:Cultural Sniping: The Art of Transgression
537:Domestic Labour and Visual Representation
169:Domestic Labour and Visual Representation
679:Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain
471:Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain
316:Left Shift: Radical Art in 1970s Britain
255:and organized a 40th anniversary event.
239:, SPACE, London, 1 June – 15 July 2012.
552:(London and New York: Routledge, 1995).
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747:British artist groups and collectives
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701:Photography: A Critical Introduction
563:Photography: A Critical Introduction
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539:pamphlet by Hackney Flashers, 1980.
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352:Ash, Juliet (14 September 2012).
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303:Putting Myself in the Picture
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340:Fotografía y activismo
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33:who produced notable
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42:second wave feminism
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210:Whitechapel Gallery
206:Protest and Survive
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402:(1): 88–89. 1980.
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718:Camerawork
654:6 February
259:References
243:2012–2013:
216:2005–2006:
48:Beginnings
428:(1972–93)
426:Spare Rib
82:Jo Spence
74:An Dekker
54:Jo Spence
24:socialist
711:See also
396:Heresies
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28:feminist
363:4 March
253:website
208:at the
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