“A lot of like minded people”

Kate Kelly worked as a photography tutor at Chats Palace in the early 1980’s.

Kelly secured funding to run a weekly all day darkroom workshop for local women with full on site creche facilities, lunch and lots of cups of tea!

The group produced a series of image and text panels that explored living conditions and health issues that affected women and families in Hackney at the time. The work was influenced by women photographic activists such as the Hackney Flashers and Jo Spence.

Kate Kelly on – art practice and community projects in the 1980’s:

Some of the photo panels from that period have survived and Kate, who has recently reconnected with Chats Palace, called in earlier this week to do an hour long interview remembering those times.

© Chats Palace