Not Our Class (2011–2013) was a long-term programme of education and participatory projects taking the work of Jo Spence as a starting point for investigating the legacy and potentials of her work in relation to contemporary culture and life. Through a series of commissions, offsite projects, workshops, public events, and reading groups situated both within Studio Voltaire’s neighbourhood and contemporary art discourse the programme will explore the new turn towards education and participation within contemporary art practice. The programme included commissions by artists Marysia Lewandowska working with The Jo Spence Memorial Archive, and Rehana Zaman working with King’s College Hospital and Body & Soul. Additionally Mystique Holloway, Ego Ahaiwe, Louise Shelley, Gina Nembhard, Emma Hedditch, Lauren Craig and Zoe Holloway set up the research group X Marks The Spot based at Lambeth Women’s Project.
Not Our Class, Issue 1
2012
Published as part of Not Our Class, a two-year pilot programme of educational and participatory projects, utilising both research and practice to investigate the legacy and potentials of the work of Jo Spence in relation to contemporary life and culture.
Jo Spence (b.1934–d.1992) was a key figure on the UK photographic scene from the mid-seventies and was a crucial voice in debates on photography and the critique of representation. In 2012, the retrospective Jo Spence Work (Part I and Part II) was staged at Studio Voltaire and [space], London.
Not Our Class, Issue #1 (May 2012). Courtesy of the artists, Terry Dennett, The Jo Spence Memorial Archive, [space], London and Studio Voltaire, London.
