Celebrating Franki Raffles: Panel Discussion + Book Launch

Chair

Martyn Hudson

The event will be chaired by Martyn Hudson, the Programme Lead for the Creative Industries MA at Northumbria University. Hudson is the chair of Amberside Trust and the author of 10 books on visual and material culture. His most recent work is Social Ghosts and the Dead of World History: Ghost Theory (2023).

Panelists

Sarah Munro

Sarah Munro is Director of Baltic where, since November 2015, she has led a powerful vision, enhancing the organisation’s artistic, social and civic mission, and ensuring that relevance and impact embedded across the organisation. Munro was a juror for the 2020 Turner Prize; selector of the British Pavilion for the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019; she currently sits on the Scottish Parliament’s think tank – Scottish Futures’ Forum; and is a civic Co-commissioner for Gateshead Poverty Truth Commission. Prior to Baltic, she was Artistic Director of Tramway, Glasgow from 2008–15, a role which from 2013–15 also incorporated being Head of Arts for the City of Glasgow with a city-wide festival, local arts and venues responsibility. Munro was previously Director of the Collective Gallery, Edinburgh and Projects Director at Artlink where she led collaborations between marginalised, disempowered communities and artists. At Artlink, she invited Raffles and artist Brian Jenkins to collaborate on a major campaign targeting ableist attitudes towards disabled people titled, What is Disability? Your Frame of Mind is Our Disability (1992/93); the collaboration with Raffles developed into a significant friendship. Munro is co-curator of Franki Raffles: Photography, Activism, Campaign Works with Emma Dean, Baltic Curator.

Dr. Alistair Scott

Dr. Alistair Scott is Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Creative Industries at Edinburgh Napier University. He studied History at the University of St. Andrews in the 1970s, which is where he first met Raffles’, remaining friends until her death in 1994. After graduation he worked in the field of community arts before post-graduate training at the National Film & Television School. Scott spent over 25 years working as a director and producer for the BBC, Channel 4 and Scottish Television. From 2006–09 he was Lecturer in Screen Media at the University of the West of Scotland. He moved to Edinburgh Napier University in 2009. As Head of Department for Photography, Film and Television he set up the Franki Raffles Archive Research project to bring together the archive of her photographic practice and rediscover and re-evaluate her contribution to feminist documentary photography. Scott acted as liaison between the Franki Raffles Estate and the Photography Archive at the University of St. Andrews which led to the donation of her entire photographic output to the University.