ONE YEAR! Photographs from the Miners’ Strike 1984 – 85 explores the vital role that photography played during this bitter industrial dispute. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the miners’ strike, Four Corners is delighted to tour this exhibition from the Martin Parr Foundation. One of Britain’s longest and most violent disputes, the repercussions of the miners’ strike continue to be felt today across the country.
The exhibition looks at the central role photographs played during the year-long struggle against pit closures, with many materials drawn from the Martin Parr Foundation collection. Posters, vinyl records, plates, badges and publications are placed in dialogue with images by photographers, investigating the power and the contradictions inherent in using photography as a tool of resistance. They include photographs by Brenda Prince, John Sturrock, John Harris, Jenny Matthews, Roger Tiley, Imogen Young and Chris Killip, as well as Philip Winnard who was himself a striking miner.
The photographs show some familiar imagery - the lines of police and the violence - but also depict the remarkable community support from groups such as Women Against Pit Closures and the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. Photography was used both to sway public opinion and to document this transformative period in British history.
The catalyst for the miners’ strike was an attempt to prevent colliery closures through industrial action in 1984-85. The industrial action, which began in Yorkshire, was led by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and its President, Arthur Scargill, against the National Coal Board (NCB). The Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher opposed the strikes and aimed to reduce the power of the trade unions. The dispute was characterised by violence between the flying pickets and the police, most notably at the Battle of Orgreave. The miners’ strike was the largest since the General Strike of 1926 and ended in victory for the government with the closure of a majority of the UK’s collieries.
ONE YEAR! Photographs from the Miners’ Strike 1984 – 85
20 September-19 October 2024
Four Corners, 21 Roman Road, London E2 0QN
Free admission. Opening hours 11am-6pm Wednesday - Saturday
Nearest tube: Bethnal Green, Central Line
The exhibition is accompanied by a series of talks and screenings. Further information here.
Image: Miners’ strike 1984 mass picket confronting police lines, Bilston Glen, Scotland. Miner Norman Strike at the front. © John Sturrock/Reportdigital.co.uk
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