'Dirty Realism': documentary photography in 1970s Britain—a maquette

In a volume dedicated to Professor Alex Potts, this essay looks at radical photography in 1970s Britain. The period saw the development of an extensive network of critical practice, particularly workshop practice. The 'Radical 70s' have been drawing a great deal of attention, but I argue that the work of the period has often been misunderstood in the literature. A concentration on form has obscured the extent to which this was a practice committed to transform production relations. Against those (Wall, Roberts) who argue the critical image work of the period centred on 'deskilling', this essay argues the opposite took place, in a range of workshops photographers conducted radical pedagogy around representation. This involved a process of 'upskilling'. I argue the central concern for those involved was a focus on women's work (a wage work and social reproduction). The term 'dirty realism' is taken from Hans Magnus Enzensberger and provides a way of re-reading the 'Brechtian' impetus behind this work.