Delving into Nita's archive

Family photos are a spur to conversation in many homes across Britain. As a nation, we love transporting ourselves back in time to when we were young, when our parents were young and when our grandparents were unrecognisable, through the most weathered of portals- photographs.

While going back several years invites the return of old memories, it's what our ancestors were getting up to before our time, that really sparks my imagination.    

Artist and senior lecturer at UCA Ellen Nolan, has gone back through her own family archives to explore performance within the constructed and domesticated image of her great aunt, the 1920s actress, Nita Harvey.

Ellen Nolan's Instagram account is full to the brim of constructed images of Nita as well as the more domesticated ones. It is well worth a look if you're interested in 1920s and '30s photographs. Budding photographers will  also enjoy Ellen Nolan's more modern compositions and montages. 

This event looks to offer a thought-provoking journey through family history between the two World Wars. I couldn't be more excited to take a trip to a completely different era and culture: a time before mobile phones and social media.       

Ellen will be speaking at 2 today (Monday 25th February) in DMU's Clephan Building. There may still be a couple of tickets left ....