| Description | Gelatin-silver exhibition and work prints. A file of documentary material relating to the exhibition, this includes programmes, photocopied listings, private view invitations and a catalogue for the exhibition at the Commonwealth Institute, London, 1983.
The images include views of family life, funerals, protest marches, weddings, church services and day trips among many other subjects concerning the daily lives of the Birmingham black community. |
| AdminHistory | Handsworth from the Inside was Vanley Burke's first exhibition, it consisted of images taken by him as part of his ongoing documentation process of the daily life and experiences of the black community in Birmingham, specifically at this time in Handsworth. His aim in the documentation process was not principally to show the black community to the mainstream audience, but rather as a process of reflecting the community back to itself. It was a response to the absence at the time of images of black people in the mainstream media and a way of documenting the presence and establishment of the community which was not previously being recorded by someone from within the community.
Many of the images have been used for later exhibitions and in print publications, such as 'Boy with Flag' (MS 2192/A/A/1/2) which has been used a number of times including in the Guardian newspaper.
Handsworth From the Inside was originally exhibited at Grove Lane Junior School in 1979. It was later exhibited at various national venues including the Commonwealth Institute, London (1983) and the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham (1983) |