An introduction to Socially Engaged Practice at the Northern Centre of Photography and Photography Research Group, delivered at the fourth Museum Dialogues workshop which explored photography as a participatory medium that enables public interaction and the development of new social dynamics and relationships, extending beyond an institution’s physical space.

Contributors shared diverse approaches to using photography as a tool for civic engagement and activism, as well as methods to build photographic exhibitions and archives outside traditional institutional structures, giving agency to underrepresented communities, decentring mainstream narratives and driving social change. The discussion addressed issues of ethics, ownership and guardianship, alongside institutional requirements for archiving co-created work produced through socially engaged practice.