Press Releases
Transforming Amber: Building a Resilient Future
July 2024
Amber Film & Photography Collective has been awarded a £236,615 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to launch Transforming Amber: Building a Resilient Future. This project is a bold step towards financial sustainability, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring Side Gallery remains a vital space for documentary photography. With a focus on expanding our team, developing new exhibitions, and making our archive more accessible, this initiative sets the foundation for a dynamic and inclusive future. Download the press release below for full details.
50x50 Fundraising Print Sale
July 2025
Side have unveiled 50x50, a print sale that offers the public a chance to acquire affordable, high quality, photographic images while raising much needed funds for the the only arts organisation in the United Kingdom devoted to documentary film and photography centred on working-class life, from the North East and internationally.
Photographers, including members of the Amber Film and Photography Collective, such as Sirkka-Liisa
Konttinen and Richard Grassick, respected North East practitioners, and internationally recognised names such as Sunil Gupta, Rankin and Sam Taylor-Johnson, have each contributed a single image that speaks to the documentary ethos that has underpinned Side’s work since 1977.
All profits from this sale go to the AmberSide Trust (registered charity number: 1160760)
Side Projects: Weekend Plans
August 2025
Side presents a four-day programme of exhibitions, workshops, talks and community conversations. ‘Side Projects: Weekend Plans’ will set a path for the future of socially engaged documentary practice and its exhibition.
Weekend Plans is a unique opportunity for audiences to see how Side's mission is evolving and to take part in the next chapter. Visitors will engage with historic and contemporary work, join live conversations, and help create resources that will guide emerging storytellers in ethical and community focused narratives.
Highlights from the Side’s unparalleled collection, The AmberSide Collection, will be displayed with new international voices, demonstrating how images can drive reflection, debate and social change.