The project 

The In A Different Light (IDAL) project aimed to expand the narratives of black representation by developing Autograph ABP's collection of photographs. This included acquisition of newly researched photographic works and film footage.

The organisation

Autograph ABP was founded in London, 1988, and was originally known as the Association of Black Photographers. The organisation supports black photographic practices, and between 1988 and 2007, it worked as an agency to initiate projects in gallery spaces, museums, festivals and public sites. 

In 2007, Autograph applied for charitable status and moved to Shoreditch. Up until today, this venue provides: 

• a showcase for its annual programme of public exhibitions and events 

• storage for its photographic archive 

• a dedicated learning studio 

The funding

Autograph ABP required a grant from the Heritage Fund to address critical gaps in its collection. The gaps included three key strands: 

• representative works by established chroniclers of the ‘Windrush’ generation, active in London during the 1960s and 1970s

• examples of the earliest 19th century photographs during the Victorian era

• moving images in addition to photography

It also aimed to help the organisation and its staff to become more resilient and better informed. 

The results

The funding helped Autograph ABP expand their resources, address gaps in the archive collection, and enabled the whole core team to develop skills and knowledge. The archive is now a fuller, richer and more comprehensive resource as a result of the quality and significance of works acquired. 

More than 175 items have been added to the collection since 2015. This included 19th century photographs depicting sitters of African, Caribbean and South Asian heritage, and a selection of digitised film works by Clovis Salmon aka ‘Sam The Wheels’.  

Autograph ABP held IDAL exhibitions, a series of Think-Tanks, and Open House archive events in 2017 to display the new acquisitions.  

Plus, throughout the project, the organisation built confidence with photographers, enabling purchases to be made from artists and estates previously unobtainable. 

Meeting our outcomes

IDAL was committed to inclusive heritage. It gave a platform to a generation of black photographers who have experienced poor treatment and institutional racism. Securing works for the archive took a lot of delicate communication effort to build confidence in the motives and the professional intentions of Autograph ABP. 

As part of the project's associated programme of activity, professional development toolkits were included to help the organisation and its staff to become more resilient. Plus, knowledge-sharing resources were made available online, with topics on acquisition processes, collecting photography, editing works, copyright matters and printing techniques. 

The future

In terms of future collecting, Autograph ABP intend to pay particular attention to acquiring works by female practitioners, whose work captures the black experience through fine art and documentary photography from the 1980s onwards.  

Lessons have been learned from the challenges faced in managing both the archive and programming activities. It is addressing this through a Resilient Heritage Project - focussing on care, conservation and asset development in the archive - and a new business plan until 2022. 

Top tips

Various tips and recommendations arose from IADL, specifically for other projects working with heritage of diverse ethnic communities:  

• Have alternative back-ups when it comes to copyright licensing. Autograph ABP experienced photographers disagreeing to a specific licensing, as it did not achieve satisfactory protection in the specific context of photography.  

• Consider using a third-party negotiator. Many of the photographers involved with IADL were nervous and resentful about the way in which their photographic achievements had previously been undervalued. Autograph ABP used a well-known curator in the industry, who already had established relationships with artists, to negotiate with them.   

• Autograph ABP also strengthened relationship building with artists by creating contracts that were as simply designed as possible.