Coal Faces Book - a Kickstarter project

Messages
3,172
Name
Andy
Edit My Images
No
**Posted with Admin permission**

I'm delighted to announce a Kickstarter project lead by Colin Wilkinson (formerly of Bluecoat Press) of a new documentary photography book covering the last 60 years of coal mining in Britain, with some focus on the miners strike which of course started in 1984 - 40 years ago. This is a collaboration by a number of well known documentary photographers (including John Bulmer, Patrick Ward, Janine Wiedel and others), and an obscure one (me).

The kickstarter link is here and after two days we're nearly halfway to the target.

The introductory blurb is as follows, lots more on the Kickstarter page:

The demise of the British coal mining industry is one of the most remarkable and tragic stories of the last fifty years. In 1965, over 455,000 miners worked in coalfields across Britain (down from a peak of 1.2 million in 1920). Today, in 2024, just four underground coal mines remain, providing jobs for fewer than 300 miners.COAL FACES COVER copy Medium.jpeg


Coal Faces is a story in pictures of the last 60 years of coal mining in Britain, seen through the eyes of some remarkable photographers. As the government finally puts coal mining to bed in favour of renewables and other greener sources of energy, this book is an epitaph to an industry that powered the Industrial Revolution, provided the fuel to heat our homes and kept the lights on.

Seventeen photographers have contributed to this important record, sharing their work and recollections in their own words. Their photographs record the period before the Miners' Strike of 1984-5, the momentous Strike and its aftermath. Each photographer has taken a different perspective, creating collectively an essential tribute to the men, women and communities that made Britain an economic powerhouse.

Coal Faces is unique record of coal mining from Image & Reality, in collaboration with editor and photographer David Gilbert Wright and sixteen other photographers: John Bulmer, Mik Critchlow, Simon Hill, Nick Hodgson, Roger Hutchings, Andy Marland, Jenny Matthews, Martin Mayer, Keith Pattison, Mark Pinder, Brenda Prince, Martin Shakeshaft, Roger Tiley, Patrick Ward, Zak Waters and Janine Wiedel.
 
I didn't realise Colin Wilkinson had come out of retirement. Good to see him back producing affordable books of documentary photography. (y)
 
I didn't realise Colin Wilkinson had come out of retirement. Good to see him back producing affordable books of documentary photography. (y)
Thanks Dave, his new venture is a bit lower profile. I think his first Kickstarter was for a follow up to Ian Beesley’s ‘Life’ book to accompany the Life Goes On Exhibition at Saltaire but it got pulled early for some reason. This is going well so far - nearly half funded after a couple of days.

But I’m glad he’s up and running again, not sure which direction the BJP are going to take Bluecoat - the most recent kickstarter was for contemporary work on poverty which was well short with a couple of days to spare but somehow managed to just scrape over the line on the last day.
 
Thanks Dave, his new venture is a bit lower profile. I think his first Kickstarter was for a follow up to Ian Beesley’s ‘Life’ book to accompany the Life Goes On Exhibition at Saltaire but it got pulled early for some reason. This is going well so far - nearly half funded after a couple of days.

But I’m glad he’s up and running again, not sure which direction the BJP are going to take Bluecoat - the most recent kickstarter was for contemporary work on poverty which was well short with a couple of days to spare but somehow managed to just scrape over the line on the last day.
The BJP direction seems to be 'art' directed, as per the design of the Daniel Meadows book which I thought was a 'clever' design that made the photos harder to view. Maybe that's why CW has started up again. I thought this was a BJP/Bluecoat job and was going to give it a swerve, but I've backed it now.
 
The BJP direction seems to be 'art' directed, as per the design of the Daniel Meadows book which I thought was a 'clever' design that made the photos harder to view. Maybe that's why CW has started up again. I thought this was a BJP/Bluecoat job and was going to give it a swerve, but I've backed it now.
I did look at the Daniel Meadows book as I like his work but this didn’t really appeal for some reason.

I’m hoping that Bluecoat continues along the same successful trajectory as before but the most recent book makes me wonder.

Thanks for backing - I’ve not seen a draft yet but I’m looking forward to it, if nothing else to see how they’ve incorporated my sparse, Becher style photographs in to a book of more traditional documentary work from proper photographers - I’m just a dabbler!
 
I did look at the Daniel Meadows book as I like his work but this didn’t really appeal for some reason.

I’m hoping that Bluecoat continues along the same successful trajectory as before but the most recent book makes me wonder.
The photos in the Meadows book are great, but the homage design does some no favours. My fear is the Bluecoat books will follow the current trend in photobooks where the design and concept are the important things. Cloth covers with foil embossing seems to be big at the moment! :D

I'm sure Coal Faces will get funded. There's a broad audience for documentary photography about British culture/heritage IMO.
 
I have the previous Mik Critchlow book Coaltown, published by Bluecoat when CW ran it - amazing images - one of my favourite photo books, his camera really sees into the people he photographed
Yes, I have that also it’s a superb book. I met Mik a few years ago, we had him for the day at Lancashire Monochrome and he was a lovely chap, quite shy and definitely camera shy. He had quite a large body of work, but he sadly passed away last year and it would be a pity if more of his work wasn’t published.
 
Yes, I have that also it’s a superb book. I met Mik a few years ago, we had him for the day at Lancashire Monochrome and he was a lovely chap, quite shy and definitely camera shy. He had quite a large body of work, but he sadly passed away last year and it would be a pity if more of his work wasn’t published.
Bluecoat (CW) did publish some other book(s) on his work - I have those as well
 
Bluecoat (CW) did publish some other book(s) on his work - I have those as well
Interesting, I must have missed them. I think Cafe Royal *might* have done one or two books, and I bought a book off him of photos he’d done around Hirst where he lived.
 
Unfortunately there will be a restricted number (i.e. non) of new underground pictures thanks to certain fractions of society who will not even think of mining being resurrected. Instead we import it from far away places like Poland, Chile, Columbia and Australia.

Living in what was one of the biggest mining areas in UK, there are many, many pictures of the existence they endured in the Durham Mining Museum, showing miners and their families, when coalmining was in full swing, and will never be replicated. An awful, dirty working life, fraught with danger, but that brought about the binding of whole communities together that will never see light of day again. Even 40-50 years after the closing of most of the deep mines in the area, and indeed the tragic strike, there is still a tangible atmosphere that the camaraderie is alive, and still there underneath.
 
Last edited:
Unfortunately there will be a restricted number (i.e. non) of new underground pictures thanks to certain fractions of society who will not even think of mining being resurrected. Instead we import it from far away places like Poland, Chile, Columbia and Australia.

Living in what was one of the biggest mining areas in UK, there are many, many pictures of the existence they endured in the Durham Mining Museum, showing miners and their families, when coalmining was in full swing, and will never be replicated. An awful, dirty working life, fraught with danger, but that brought about the binding of whole communities together that will never see light of day again. Even 40-50 years after the closing of most of the deep mines in the area, and indeed the tragic strike, there is still a tangible atmosphere that the camaraderie is alive, but still there underneath.
In the context of the book, one of the contributors is Nick Hodgson who photographed the small mines in the Forest of Dean so I’m presuming (because I’ve not seen a mockup) there will be some contemporary underground photographs from that body of work.
 
+1

No option for a signed print from Andy though :(
That’s because no one has heard of me, so no one would plump for that option Actually, my coal mine photos work better in a multi image typology, individually even I think they’re boring.

There was a proposal to do a bunch of different signing options but the logistics were just too complicated due to the number of contributors.
 
Back
Top