Tish: Special screening and Q&A
13 December / 18.00 / Picturehouse at FACT
Picturehouse at FACT and Open Eye Gallery present a special screening of Paul Sng’s documentary Tish, followed by a panel discussion with Jen Corcoran (producer of Tish) and socially engaged photographer Emma Case, moderated by Open Eye Gallery.
Tish Murtha was a visionary photographer committed to documenting the struggle and inequality of the working-class communities that framed her upbringing. Her archive of work from Northeast England and London’s Soho in the 1970s and 1980s is lovingly realised in this exploration of the legacy of her work and private life by her daughter, Ella Murtha.
As a working class photographer from the North East, Tish felt an obligation to the people and problems within her local environment, and used documentary photography to highlight and challenge the social disadvantages she herself suffered. Unlike many social documentary photographers, Tish was from the same streets as the people she photographed, lending a poignant intimacy to her stark yet tender black and white images. However, despite early acclaim for her work, she was unable to make a living from photography and was unable to escape the poverty she documented. She died aged 56, her work relatively unknown.
Tish’s brilliant eye, her unswerving ethics and constant empathy are present in her images, yet little is known of the artist herself. In this feature documentary we follow Tish’s daughter, Ella, as she opens up her mother’s archive for the first time on screen to reveal a treasure trove of unseen images, artefacts, letters and diaries. Ella takes to the road to meet people who knew Tish and ask why she did not receive more recognition in her lifetime.
In digging into the past, Ella comes to terms with her own grief at her mother’s passing and reconnects with family members not seen in years. By shining a light on a working class artist who went largely unrecognised in her lifetime, the documentary questions the value placed on working class people both in the past and present day.
Director’s bio
Paul Sng is a bi-racial British Chinese filmmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland whose work focuses on people who challenge the status quo. His films have been broadcast on television and screened internationally, and his feature documentary credits include DISPOSSESSION, POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE (winner of BIFA 2021 Best Documentary, BIFA 2021 Raindance Discovery Award) and TISH (Sheffield DocFest 2023 Opening Gala film). He is a 2022/23 BAFTA Breakthrough Artist.
Press
“Tish Murtha, who lived a life as tough as those she shot in different eras of deprivation and marginalisation, receives a wholehearted and riveting tribute” The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw
“Details leap out from the photographs, not just the faces of those she captured, but the twist of cigarette smoke, metal ashtrays recalling the tang of wet ash, plasters on scrubbed knees” Eye for Film
“An authentic insight into the devastating impact of unemployment and poverty” Screen International
“Paul Sng’s intimate documentary resurrects a fleeting art radical, honouring her incisive political views as well as her photographs” Sight and Sound
Image: Kenilworth Road Kids, Cruddas Park, Juvenile Jazz Bands (1979) – Tish Murtha (c) Ella Murtha, all rights reserved.
13 December / 18.00 / Picturehouse at FACT
Picturehouse at FACT and Open Eye Gallery present a special screening of Paul Sng’s documentary Tish, followed by a panel discussion with Jen Corcoran (producer of Tish) and socially engaged photographer Emma Case, moderated by Open Eye Gallery.
Tish Murtha was a visionary photographer committed to documenting the struggle and inequality of the working-class communities that framed her upbringing. Her archive of work from Northeast England and London’s Soho in the 1970s and 1980s is lovingly realised in this exploration of the legacy of her work and private life by her daughter, Ella Murtha.
As a working class photographer from the North East, Tish felt an obligation to the people and problems within her local environment, and used documentary photography to highlight and challenge the social disadvantages she herself suffered. Unlike many social documentary photographers, Tish was from the same streets as the people she photographed, lending a poignant intimacy to her stark yet tender black and white images. However, despite early acclaim for her work, she was unable to make a living from photography and was unable to escape the poverty she documented. She died aged 56, her work relatively unknown.
Tish’s brilliant eye, her unswerving ethics and constant empathy are present in her images, yet little is known of the artist herself. In this feature documentary we follow Tish’s daughter, Ella, as she opens up her mother’s archive for the first time on screen to reveal a treasure trove of unseen images, artefacts, letters and diaries. Ella takes to the road to meet people who knew Tish and ask why she did not receive more recognition in her lifetime.
In digging into the past, Ella comes to terms with her own grief at her mother’s passing and reconnects with family members not seen in years. By shining a light on a working class artist who went largely unrecognised in her lifetime, the documentary questions the value placed on working class people both in the past and present day.
Director’s bio
Paul Sng is a bi-racial British Chinese filmmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland whose work focuses on people who challenge the status quo. His films have been broadcast on television and screened internationally, and his feature documentary credits include DISPOSSESSION, POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE (winner of BIFA 2021 Best Documentary, BIFA 2021 Raindance Discovery Award) and TISH (Sheffield DocFest 2023 Opening Gala film). He is a 2022/23 BAFTA Breakthrough Artist.
Press
“Tish Murtha, who lived a life as tough as those she shot in different eras of deprivation and marginalisation, receives a wholehearted and riveting tribute” The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw
“Details leap out from the photographs, not just the faces of those she captured, but the twist of cigarette smoke, metal ashtrays recalling the tang of wet ash, plasters on scrubbed knees” Eye for Film
“An authentic insight into the devastating impact of unemployment and poverty” Screen International
“Paul Sng’s intimate documentary resurrects a fleeting art radical, honouring her incisive political views as well as her photographs” Sight and Sound
Image: Kenilworth Road Kids, Cruddas Park, Juvenile Jazz Bands (1979) – Tish Murtha (c) Ella Murtha, all rights reserved.
