Seaside Photographed

Karen Shepherdson and Val Williams were commissioned to co-curate the exhibition Seaside Photographed at Turner Contemporary, Margate (2019) - the gallery's first photographic exhibition. Seaside Photographed examined the complex relationship between photographers, photography and British seaside from the 1850s to the present day. The research, in the form of a co-curated exhibition and co-authored publication, articulated a multitude of visions, examining the relationships between photographers, the coast of Britain and coastal communities. Along with a critical (re)examination of the seaside descriptors of decline and regeneration the research explored how the British seaside has been used - photographically - as metaphor for the state of the nation. The exhibition resulted in a layered exposition on photographers, photography and British culture. The work over seventy photographers and artists, included many eminent in the field of visual art such as Henri Cartier Bresson, Jane Bown, Martin Parr, Vanley Burke, Susan Hiller, Bill Brandt, Daniel Meadows and Ingrid Pollard, alongside that of unknown photographers whose work was brought to public attention for the first time. Through an innovative 'open call' by the curators, works by photographers such as Raymond Lawson, Reginald Slader and Pat Gwynne were discovered and exhibited. Through detailed archival research further intimate narratives, such as that of composer Benjamin Britten and tenor Peter Pears, signified how the seemingly prosaic snapshot is a means of documenting lives fully lived at the seaside. The exhibition was subsequently awarded an Arts Council England Strategic Touring Fund of £223,725 for a national tour throughout 2020-2021. Seaside Photographed at Turner Contemporary saw record attendance with over 159,000 visitors throughout the summer of 2019, alongside significant press interest. In addition to the exhibition, a book of the same title was commissioned and published by Thames & Hudson