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"Coalfaces is far removed from the many other photographic volumes that turn the viewer into a passive voyeur. Carr and Schone challenge the reader, demanding a response other than an ooh! and ahh! ... These photographs, gritty, beautiful, empathetic, sad and humorous, reflect a hardy and feisty attitude, shared by the residents despite the adversity, and they provide us with a much-needed reminder of communities all too easily forgotten about." John Green, Morning Star
"This book comes to us as readers and viewers with a strange duality. It comes to challenge and it comes to praise. It comes to challenge those that have power over other people’s lives, and to passionately accuse those who dispense that power in such a cavalier fashion. It is, in that sense, an indictment. And it comes, primarily perhaps, to praise those, the subjects of these photographs, who by their persistence, optimism and social energy have constructed a meaningful culture out of tragic and traumatic circumstances. And it is, in that sense, an acclamation. Additionally these images, words and recordings exist to confront those deeply embedded stereotypes of representation that the mining community have traditionally suffered, and to offer documentation as an act of social witness that records and gives voice to a people who usually remain unheard." Osi Rhys Osmon
“It is rare for a photographic project to have such an immediate and powerful impact, and it is such a joy to observe this in the gallery space of the National Museum... we are committed to sharing this significant work as widely as possible for many, many years to come.” Dr. Bronwen Colquhoun, Senior Curator of Photography at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.
With a new foreword by Dr Bronwen Colquhoun
Fully illustrated
Coalfaces portrays the life and landscape of five small settlements in south Wales. These communities in the Afan Valley, after the pit closures, had to deal with high levels of unemployment and found themselves with severe adjustment problems.
Over more than ten years, Tina Carr and Annemarie Schöne worked with the residents of the valley to document the place they call 'home'. These photographs, gritty, beautiful, empathetic, sad and humorous, reflect a hardy and feisty attitude, shared by the residents despite the adversity they are forced to face, and provide us with a much-needed reminder of a community all too easily forgotten about.
Tina Carr and Annemarie Schöne are two award-winning artists who work together on many diverse projects combining their skills of photography, video and design in innovative, socially conscious and environmentally friendly ways. They initiate and execute photographic projects, video installations and photo-sculptures which are exhibited internationally. They also design and build gardens, exterior features and public art.
For more information visit www.simply-solar.co.uk.