Contemporary Commission Collection - Afro-Caribbean Youth. By Clement Cooper

IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA

Reference code(s): DPA/ C3

Title: Contemporary Commission Collection - Afro-Caribbean Youth. By Clement Cooper

Date(s): January 1987 - July 1987

Level of description: Sub- fond

Extent and medium of the unit of description: 691 black and white negatives and 33 prints

CONTEXT AREA

Name of creator(s): Clement Cooper

Administrative/Biographical history: The Commission was established in 1985 and this collection is one of 13 collections that document various aspects of life in the North- West from 1985 to the present. The collections comprise of a written record of the photographer during the life of the commission, negatives and contact sheets of all the photographs and documentation of exhibitions held or publications produced from the commission. (See GMCRO web site for further details)

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer:

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA

Scope and content: The collection is organised into the following five sections:

Photographs and information sheets. This section includes negatives, contact sheets, prints and information sheets.

Documents acquired in the course of the commission.

Administrative files.

Prints supplied by the photographer that did not form part of the commission.

Appendix of the list of prints produced by the photographer.

Young African and African-Caribbean adults were photographed at Youth clubs, in-groups, and as friends and couples. The following description of this collection was taken from the DPA catalogue: `Clement Cooper commission concentrated on three youth clubs in the (Greater Manchester) area - Birley High School, the Hideaway in Moss Side, and Raby Street Youth Club. Other areas where photographs were taken include Procters Youth Club, Westwood Street W.I. Centre, Longsight Youth Club, Alexandra Park, and residences. Clement's concern was to portray black youth `honestly in their casual everyday way of life, in their determination, resilience, in their sense of fashion and fun as well as in their insecurity and frustration.'

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

System of arrangement: There are 47 sheets of contact prints. Each sheet of contact prints is matched by a corresponding information sheet, completed by the photographer, which supplies contextual detail, information about the subject and a record of the photographer's approach to his work.

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

Conditions governing access:

Conditions governing reproduction:

Language/scripts of material: English

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids: Printed catalogues.

ALLIED MATERIALS AREA

Existence and location of originals: The Greater Manchester County Record Office.

Existence and location of copies:

Related units of description:

Publication note: Clement Cooper's work was featured in a television programme about the DPA and documentary photography, produced by Granada Television as part of their `Celebrations' series (23 October 1987).

DESCRIPTION CONTROL AREA

Recorder's note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: 28 March 2001

Interest: Black

Specific group: Youth of African and African-Caribbean descent

Subjects

African-Caribbean peoples

Youth organisations

Youth

Ethnic groups

Communities

Personal/Corporate names

Cooper, Clement

Places

Manchester, United Kingdom

Moss Side, Manchester, United Kingdom