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Wakefield museum’s gritty exhibition
COAL FACE: Keith Pattison whose exhibition of photographs from the miners strike No Redemption is on show at the National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield.
A gritty new exhibition that gives a snapshot of the most stormy period in mining history has come to the industry’s heartland.
Photographs that provide a stark look back at the Miners’ Strike of 1984/85 form the new display at the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, which began this week.
The images give a glimpse of the impact the strike had on traditional mining communities and has been put together by photographer Keith Pattison.
A spokesman for the museum told the YEP: “The Miners’ Strike of 1984/85 shook the foundations of British society and tore apart numerous traditional mining communities – many of which have never recovered.
“In August of 1984, Keith Pattison was commissioned by Sunderland’s Artists’ Agency to photograph the strike at Easington Colliery, on the Durham coast.
“The commission was for a month, but he chose to remain there on and off until the strike ended in March 1985. From the optimism of August, through the creeping pessimism of winter and up to the final vote to return to work in February 1985, Keith Pattison photographed from the inside a community laid siege by the state.”
The historic strike saw pits shut down across the country – including around Yorkshire – and left a legacy of ill-feeling towards the Thatcher government that is still felt today.
The exhibition features around 40 images and is accompanied by a book, called No Redemption, with text by David Peace, written after a visit to Easington on Election Day 2010.
The museum spokesman added: “Twenty-five years after the strike, three people shared their memories and provided profound insights into its lingering legacy. Their words lend even greater eloquence to the emotion and humanity captured by Keith Pattison’s photographs.”
The book is available from the museum shop, at a special price of £15 (usual £20), along with a range of posters and postcards.
For more information about the exhibition or the museum, call 01924 848806, email: info@ncm.org.uk or log on to the museum’s website at: www.ncm.org.uk
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