S1E308 · Putting Ourselves in the Picture

Jo Spence 's photography defies definition - her work appears in community spaces as well as grand galleries. It deals with social problems, sexuality, myth and power. Tonight's Arena looks at her life and work since 1982, when she was diagnosed as having breast cancer. Without consultation she was marked up for a masectomy and informed it was 'not the good news she had hoped for.' She rejected the treatment offered by the NHS and began a search for alternative cancer treatment. Trying to come to terms with cancer, she began to photograph her own body and, as an extension to co-counselling, began to use the camera to explore the memories of her parents - her mother died of cancer. The work culminated in an extraordinary series of dramatic re-creations of her mother. Jo's camera has become an integral part of her healing process. She calls this practice phototherapy.