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East London Photographers' Archive
The East London Photographers' Archive (ELPA) has been established with two aims. Firstly, to develop and expand an existing collection of photographs, initiated by the Photography Department at London Metropolitan University, enabling it to more fully represent the diverse range of contemporary photographic practices related to East London. Secondly, to provide an archival destination for the work of established photographers that might otherwise disappear from public view.
ELPA has formed a relationship with the Bishopsgate Institute for the long-term storage of the collected works and will actively recommend items for future inclusion in its collection, with particular emphasis on new or previously unseen images by contemporary photographers, especially work produced by women, LGBTQ+ practitioners and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
In addition to collecting, ELPA also aims to ensure that the archive is accessible; to disseminate and promote the material through exhibitions and events; and to educate.
ELPA is managed by a steering group comprised of photographic practitioners, curators and others. The current (2026) steering group are: Susan Andrews, Zelda Cheatle, David George, Tom Hunter, Heather McDonough, Mike Seaborne, Donna Travis, Michael Upton.
Photographers in the Archive
David George
Diane Bush
Donna Travis
Heather McDonough
Michael Upton
Mike Seaborne
Susan Andrews
Tom Hunter
Zelda Cheatle
Research
An Alternative Approach to Conserving Digital Images into the 23rd Century
By Graham Diprose and Mike Seaborne
Many museums and other archives worldwide are taking every opportunity to digitise their collections, both to facilitate a much wider access online, and to reduce the need to handle delicate originals. However, in many cases it does not follow that the digitised data files are likely to survive any longer than the artefact that has been copied. Curators have had centuries of experience in the conservation of paper and pigments, but no one can predict how often digital image data would need to be migrated from one generation of file format or file storage system, to another. Neither can we predict the future costs involved, nor the amount of storage that will need to be available, nor the risks from technical mishaps, ‘bit rot’ or human error.