Social History / Martin Parr Foundation
Exhibition of photographs from the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike to open at Martin Parr Foundation
The 1984/1985 Miner’s Strike was one of the longest-running and most bitter industrial disputes in British history, the political and socioeconomic ripples of which continue to be felt, decades on.
Coinciding with its 40th anniversary, Martin Parr Foundation will be showing a collection of images from the time, curated by Isaac Blease.
One Year! Photographs from the Miner’s Strike 1984/85 will open on January 18 and run until the end of March, accompanied by an events programme exploring the role played by photography as a tool of resistance during the strike.
is needed now More than ever
Riot police await orders in fields surrounding Orgreave coke works, S. Yorkshire, Miners’ dispute. 1984 – photo: © Brenda Prince
Spread from photo album by Philip Winnard titled NUM Strike 2. 1984-85 – photo: © Philip Winnard
Dartboard with Margaret Thatcher photograph – photo: courtesy of MPF
Contributing artists include Jenny Matthews, Roger Tiley, Chris Killip, Imogen Young, and photo albums compiled by Philip Winnard who was himself a striking miner.
The collection also features images from Brenda Prince, John Harris, John Sturrock, and designer Craig Oldham, all four of whom will be participating in ancillary discussions about their experiences of the time and impact of their work.
Archetypal depictions of the violence between police and the picket lines are placed in dialogue with ephemera from the period, together showing a more complete picture of life for mining communities as the dispute rolled on.
A policeman getting to grips with a picket, 1984 – press print: © Neville Pyne
Striking miners Children’s Xmas Party, Ollerton Miners Welfare, Nottingham, 1984-85 – photo: © Brenda Prince
ONE YEAR! The Strike goes to Whitehall – poster: published by the Mineworkers Defence Committee. Printed by Aldgate Press
“For those who have lived through this strike, its enormity cannot be underestimated,” reflects Martin Parr.
“We have brought together some of the best-known photographs – including John Harris’ image of a policeman with a truncheon held from a horse waving at a cowering woman and John Sturrock’s photograph of the confrontation between mass pickets and police lines at Bilston Glen – to rarely seen snapshots taken by Philip Winnard.
“By focusing on the complex role photographs played during the year-long struggle we hope for the show to transcend the purely historical or nostalgic, and take the visitor on a journey through a series of timeless images that show the resilience, camaraderie and violence of the strike, to reconnect and consider it again in relation to the present.”
Durham Miners’ Gala, 1984 – photo: © Chris Killip Photography Trust/Magnum Photos
Women’s’ picket at Bevercotes Colliery, night shift, 11pm. Nottingham, February 1985 – photo: © Brenda Prince
VICTORY TO THE MINERS, VICTORY TO THE WORKING CLASS – poster: courtesy of Martin Parr Foundation
One Year! Photographs from the Miners’ Strike 1984/85 is at Martin Parr Foundation from January 18-March 31 (gallery opening times are Thursday to Sunday, 10.00am-5.00pm; closed Monday to Wednesday. Entry to the exhibiton is free. For more information, visit www.martinparrfoundation.org.
Main photo: Brenda Prince (Buying an ice cream at Yorkshire Miners’ Gala. June 1984)
Read more: ‘Abandoned’: New exhibition at Martin Parr Foundation
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