Unclear Family: Solo Show
The experience of family, explored over photography workshops – Crook, Co Durham (1993), Cheb, Czech Republic (1994) Amiens, France (1995) and Ruhr Valley, Germany (1996).
The theme of Family was established for the Crook workshop in response to the UK government’s ‘back to basics’ Family Values crusade, which had been launched in 1993. Grassick, who was a key member of Amber Current Affairs Unit in the 1980s, organised the Crook workshop as part of the photographer-activist role in Co Durham, which Amber/Side was pioneering. The Unclear Family workshops grew out of contact with Cheb’s Galerie 4, developed by Grassick and Side Gallery in 1988. Around this time Amber was also working on an exchange with East German documentary studio DEFA, which resulted in From Marks & Spencer to Marx and Engels. The Unclear Family title and theme, established at Crook, continued into the subsequent workshops, all of which Grassick took part in.
All images © Richard Grassick
