Not just London; What is Community Video? Are we an Archive?

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The LCVA covers more than London — stretching to Milton Keynes to the north, Reading to the west and Brighton to the south. Because of the histories of its founders it remains South-East centred, but we hope that people in other UK regions and nations will be able to make their own archives, and we will do what we can to support other initiatives.

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‘Community video’ is a slippery term: we use it to make a distinction between it and other sorts of work. It has been variously referred to at different times as ‘participatory video’, ‘street video’, ‘alternative video’, ‘grassroots media’, ‘guerilla television’, ‘militant video’ and ‘process video’. Its methods and politics can be seen up to the present day, in ‘video activism’, ‘citizen journalism’, ‘cyberactivism’ and ‘anti-extractivist filmmaking’ and in some socially engaged art practices. All of the work on this site is characterised by activist impulses and participatory production methods. 

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Not all of the work in the archive originated on video — there are a few relevant participatory-based works that originated on 16mm film.

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As is probably obvious by now, LCVA is more than a passive archive. Of course it is vitally important to us that works are preserved before they disintegrate, but it is equally important that the work is made use of in the present. This is a dynamic and growing site. Please let us know of any relevant videos or related materials you have from the period.