Chronologies

The Cockpit

1970        Cockpit Arts Workshop Founded by Inner London Education Authority

1972-74     Cockpit Visuals Team working with schools on Tableau Vivants

1974-77     Cockpit Theatre Foyer Gallery set up at Gateforth Street

Visuals Team renamed as The Art Department, reporting to Art Inspectorate

1975-78     Art Studies Schools Project and Teachers’ Courses

1978        The Art Department renamed Department of Cultural Studies reporting to the Multicultural Inspectorate

            Department of Cultural Studies moves Holborn annexe and set-up Gallery and Darkrooms

1978        Cockpit Gallery opens in Holborn

                 First Issue of Schooling and Culture

1979-80     Cockpit Feminism and Photography Course

1979-82     Cockpit Schools Photography Project

1982-3      Jo Spence joins  the Cockpit Gallery

1983-85     Cockpit No Kidding & Leavers Believers Project

1982-84     Cockpit publishes Issues S&C 12-14 –The State We’re In

1983        Cockpit shows the work of the Schools Photography Project

1984        Henry Grant works with Cockpit to make Promises Promises exhibition from his archive

1984        Cockpit Gallery and Touring gets GLAA funding and runs independently

1984        Cockpit’s Looking Out Young People’s Photography Exhibition

1985        Armet Francis shows The Black Triangle at the Gallery to launch his book of the same name

1986        Cockpit Hang Ups review exhibition 

1988        Cockpit’s Youth Culture and Photography Published by Comedia

            Down But Not Out Exhibition at Kings Cross

            Cultural Studies Final Team Annual Report 

1989        Cockpit  Cultural Studies team closes  and Cockpit Gallery moves to Interchange

1990        Cockpit gallery Closes

A brief contextual chronology of Photography, Politics, Education and the Arts in London

1969  First  major photography exhibitions: Cartier Bresson at V. & A. and Bill Brandt at Hayward Gallery.

1969 John Heartfield’s photomontages exhibited at the ICA. 6 October – 8 November

1971  Photographer’s Gallery founded

1971  First  degree course in Photographic Arts approved by Polytechnic of Central London  

1972  Half Moon Gallery opens 

1972   Ways of Seeing TV programme and book by John Berger 

1972   Raising of the school leaving age.

1973 Barry Lane appointed first Arts Council Photography Officer

1974  Photography Workshop set up by Terry Dennett and Jo Spence          

            ILEA provides SLR cameras for schools

Photography becomes an option at ‘O’ level

Royal Photographic Society sets up an Education Group

            First MAs awarded for Photography at RCA

1975  Blackfriars Photography Workshop established

  South Island Workshop and Hackney Flashers funded by Urban Aid

          Viewpoint by Thames Television. 10 episodes broadcast in Autumn 1975

1976  Classroom projects Using Photography, two books for teachers published by Kodak 

   Half Moon shows: Strike and Home Made Show

           First Issue of Camerawork magazine

   Victor Burgin makes What does Possession mean to You  poster

           Blackfriars Doing Photography exhibition 

   Photography in School- One Teacher’s Methods by Ron Smith at Holland Park School published in Amateur Photographer magazine  20 October 1976 

           SEFT Screen Education Issue No. 21  publishes Photography Ideology and  Education by Terry Dennett and Jo Spence

           Educational Advisory Service of BFI publishes  translation of extracts from The Semiology of the Image by Guy Gauthier together with a set of slides.

 1977  MacDonalds Guidelines publishes its guide to Photography by Richard Greenhill ,  Maggie Murray and  Jo Spence            

 Photography Workshop runs a course and collates a “Jackdaw” of materials called  Kids and Photography in and Out of School

            Paul Willis Learning to Labour published

 1978   Stuart Hall’s talk on racism broadcast on BBC in July  

            First Issue of Ten 8 magazine

            Wandsworth Photo Co-op opens

            Who’s Still Holding the Baby by Hackney Flashers exhibition shown at Centreprise

            Art for Society exhibition at the Whitechapel 

Jan -March 1978 Steve Whaley organises a Series of  10 lectures at PCL called Radical Alternatives in Photography. Speakers include John Tagg, Barry Lane, Victor Burgin, Nick Hedges, Jo Spence, Paul Carter, Margaret Murray, John Sturrock and Philip Jones-Griffiths. 

1979  Three Perspectives on Photography exhibition at Hayward Gallery including Beyond the Family Album by Jo Spence

 1980  National Conference of Socialist Photography 

 1981  GLC Arts and Recreation Committee starts spending £60 million    

Andrew Bethell’s Eyeopeners Exhibition at Camerawork and 2 photopacks for English CSE

1982  Barbican Gallery Founded

 1983  Format Photography agency founded

 1984  National Miners’ Strike

 1986  Abolition of Greater London Council

 1987  Arts Council National Photography Conference at Salford

1988 4 part TV series on Family Album presented by Jo Spence on Channel 4

 1990  Abolition of Inner London Education Authority 

1994   Creating Vision -Photography and the National Curriculum  edited by Sue Isherwood and Nick Stanley published by The Arts Council. ( Contains contributions from ex-Cockpit staff.)