Meadow Well 1981
I N T E R I O R S
Sirkka-Liisa
Konttinen
Interiors is a series of family portraits and home interiors in and around the
Meadow Well estate in North Shields, photographed by Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen in 1981.
This work is now part of the AmberSide Collection, and in 2011 Konttinen’s photography and Amber’s films were inscribed in the prestigious UNESCO UK Memory of the World register as being of ‘outstanding national value and importance to the United Kingdom’. Konttinen’s series Interiors is stunning in its simplicity and variety, and is synonymous with her unique and understated approach, placing the community centre stage. The work was created in and around the Meadow Well estate in 1981 and now, forty years later, we would like to revisit and re-engage the same community. Were you in these photographs? Do you know someone who was? Are you interested in participating in creating a new portrait of the Meadow Well community? Enjoy the classic work of Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen in the next few pages, and read at the end how to get involved.
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Amber Meadow Well 2021 A community portrait project Forty years on, we are showing the original Konttinen work dotted around the greater Meadow Well estate, so as many people as possible will enjoy it. We hope it will start a conversation with you and among you, talking about past, present and future, engaging all generations. As well as showing the original work we want to work with residents to create a new set of images and stories which reflect and celebrate the local community. By summer 2021, we plan to create an exciting, beautiful exhibition, this time online, of everything we accomplish together. We want to create a rich and varied portrait of the community of Meadow Well in 2021. Because of lockdown, we have had to adapt so that this project can still go ahead and remain safe for everyone. We will be carrying out a lot of this project online, but we still wanted everyone to be able to see and do things in real life. This is why you’re holding this booklet and when you walk around your neighbourhood you will likely bump into these precious photographs. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to go into homes to create portraits. However, we may be able to make new family portraits, but in contrast to 1981, they will have to be on the doorstep, Exteriors, if you will! And there will be other opportunities to get involved. Although we might all be isolated from each other because of Covid-19, we hope this project will provide the community with a chance to connect with each other. We would love to talk to the families in the Interiors images. Were you or someone you know in these photos? Do you live now in one of the homes where these portraits were made? If so, please, get in touch! We are very keen to create pairs of images of people and places back then and now.
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Ways to participate: •
Get in touch if you or someone you know were in the original Interior images, or you recognise any of the homes depicted.
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Learn about photography and how to photograph your home and your family. Everyone can get involved, but we’re particularly keen to work with children to teach them photography and document their families and homes with film cameras.
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Be photographed in a Covid-safe way, on your doorstep.
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Interview older family members and encourage younger ones to be curious about their history. Share images and stories in our Facebook group.
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Help us create a network that will be actively involved in the development of the project. Keep in touch and follow us on social media to find out about the events that will be announced.
How to contact us: E-mail: ambermeadowwell@gmail.com Facebook and Instagram: @ambermeadowwell WhatsApp: 07587 334892 Write to us: c/o Cherri Bray-Bowden, Cedarwood Trust, Avon Ave, North Shields NE29 7QT Named contact: Maria Maza, Amber Meadow Well Creative Producer
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All photographs ©1981 Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen. Booklet design ©2021 Maria Maza. Printed in the UK on recycled paper.
Amber Meadow Well 1981-2021