'The sandy beaches of North East England are beautiful... the high-spirited happenings are spontaneous, generous acts of Geordie exuberance. Here you find yourself laughing with your fellow creatures; and before you know it, you too have been transformed into a child, adding your antics to the array of contented eccentricity.' Finnish born, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen's work has attracted considerable acclaim. The New Statesman has described her photographs as 'masterpieces of representation - political as well as photographic ' whilst New Society said 'Here is a sensibility, a wisdom of the eye and the heart that makes this collection unforgettable'. She holds the distinction of having had her work toured in 1985 in China by the British Council as the first photographic exhibition from Britain after the Cultural Revolution. She exhibits widely and her work is in numerous private and public collections, including the Tate. Awarded an MBE in the 2025 New Year's Honours list for her services to photography, Sirkka is a founder member of Amber, a unique collective of filmmakers and photographers, based in Newcastle. Sirkka works both in photography and film and her projects Byker, Step by Step and Writing in The Sand have each evolved into books, exhibitions and films. Writing in the Sand is itself the culmination of twenty five years work.
