GHOST STREETS OF BALSALL HEATH

GHOST STREETS OF BALSALL HEATH
The photography of Janet Mendelsohn

Presented in association with Flatpack Film Festival

This exhibition was on show at Ort Gallery from the 10 March - 28 April 2018. This video was created by Sofia Chen and Zoe Turner and captures the stories collected whilst the exhibition was on of local residents current and past.

In the late 1960s American filmmaker and photographer Janet Mendelsohn spent several months documenting the everyday life of Balsall Heath, as part of her studies at the University of Birmingham. These images are a vivid record of the community at a time of rapid change, and many of the streets depicted were demolished soon afterwards. The exhibition visually explores a social housing crisis, poverty, migration and the experience of childhood in the area.

Building on a brief pop-up exhibition in summer 2015, Ort Gallery now present a selection of these amazing images in the neighbourhood where they were taken. The exhibition was supported by a resource room exploring some of the stories behind the pictures, and a programme of events and screenings culminating in the 12th Flatpack Film Festival (13-22 April 2018).