Urban Landscapes
Isabela Jedrzejczyk
Photographic
Photographs of Newcastle and North Tyneside, commissioned as part of the North Tyneside Survey, 1979.
Amberside Collection
The AmberSide Collection is a vast body of documentary photography and film dedicated to preserving the working-class experience. Featuring over 20,000 photographs and 100 films, it captures social and industrial life in the North East of England and beyond, with contributions from both local and internationally renowned photographers and filmmakers.
Founded in 1968 by Murray Martin, the Amber Film & Photography Collective set out to create a lasting record of working-class culture. The collection includes works documenting key aspects of everyday life, social struggles, and industrial change. It also features historic projects such as The Building of the Tyne Bridge and the photography of Jimmy Forsyth.
Side’s values are rooted in a concern for working-class, marginalised, or threatened lives and landscapes, both in the UK and abroad. Housed at Side and safeguarded by the AmberSide Trust, the collection remains a vital cultural resource, ensuring that the social history of the North East and wider working-class communities is preserved for future generations.
Village is a Global World
Jindřich Štreit
Photographic
Photographs by Jindřich Štreit of ex-mining villages in South West Durham, developed during a 1994 residency exploring rural life after industrial decline.
Wallsend 72 (1972)
Amber Films
Film and Video
A short film about Swan Hunter's Brass Band and The Rising Sun Legionnaires juvenile jazz band, culminating in their performances as part of Wallsend Festival in 1972.
Weegee Collection
Weegee
Photographic
Weegee was the great photographer of New York in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, whose book Naked City helped to create the mythology of the city.
Weegee the Famous (2009)
Amber Films
Film and Video
A 2009 documentary film about 1930s-1950s New York photographer Weegee, his photographic legacy and the making of the Weegee Collection, featuring interviews with Wilma Wilcox and Sid Kaplan.
Wheatley Hill
Mary Gillens
Photographic
Photographs by Mary Gillens documenting family and village life in Wheatley Hill from the 1920s, rediscovered decades later by her grandson.
When The Waters Came
Shahidul Alam
Photographic
Photographs of the 1988 Bangladesh floods, documenting the resilience and solidarity of affected communities, made by Shahidul Alam on assignment for international aid organisations.
Why Support the Miners (1984)
Amber Current Affairs Unit
Film and Video
Short documentary film created as a pilot for The Miners' Campaign Tapes, a series created by independent filmmakers to support the miners' strike.
Wills' Factory
Isabela Jedrzejczyk
Photographic
The last days of a Newcastle upon Tyne cigarette factory, the photographs taken and collected in May 1986.
Workington & Maryport
John Rigby
Photographic
1983–86 documentation of Workington and Maryport capturing coastal life in transition, from the dereliction and use of Maryport harbour to the revived summer carnivals that brought the community together.
Visual Culture
Slide sets of original photography & copied imagery, an extraordinary library originally developed in the 1970s & 80s for higher education: a rich and surprising celebration of C19th & C20th iconography.
Licensing & Usage Requests
Photographic exhibitions, videos, clips, trailers and each month's featured film are free. For personal use Amber's feature dramas, feature documentaries and film shorts are available as pay per view. See details of our Educational Screening Licence or contact us.