#10 CAMERA Book Review: Tish Murtha - Youth Unemployment

A look through the latest and beautiful Tish Murtha book Youth Unemployment.

(For some reason the video upload cut off the ending. My apologies about it finishing abruptly)

Tish Murtha's Youth Unemployment is one of the most significant documentary projects to emerge from Britain during the early 1980s. Photographed in Newcastle upon Tyne between 1979 and 1981, the series records the experiences of young people living through the rapid decline of the region's traditional industries and the sharp rise in unemployment. Murtha photographed friends, neighbours and local families in the west end of Newcastle, documenting a generation whose opportunities had been profoundly affected by economic restructuring and long term joblessness. First exhibited at Side Gallery in Newcastle in 1981, the work later became recognised as one of the defining photographic records of the social consequences of unemployment in Britain.

Rather than portraying unemployment through statistics or political rhetoric, Murtha focused on the everyday lives of the young people directly affected by it. Her photographs show moments of friendship, waiting, boredom and resilience, revealing how unemployment shaped daily routines and future prospects while preserving a strong sense of community. Murtha's work gained national attention during debates on youth unemployment in Parliament, where her photographs were cited as evidence of conditions in Newcastle. Today, Youth Unemployment remains an important document of Britain's social history, illustrating how documentary photography can provide a lasting record of the human impact of economic change.

Tish Murtha
Bluecoat Press

#tishmurtha #photobook #photography #photographer #newcastle #england

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