My hometown of Featherstone, has until very recently been dominated by the mining industry. I have grown up surrounded by many stories of the miners, stories that have been told which such wit and humour were not only great to listen too, but also formed the character of the mining community. Now that the last of the mines have closed, Coalface sets out to explore a sense of what my life could have been if I had been a coal miner. It was important to include a sense of those stories in my project and involve an emotional connection in the work. Owing to the fact that my Father was a coal miner along with his Father and so forth, this project is an attempt to honour their legacy by continuing to tell their stories.
Most of the images were shot at Kellingley Coillery, of which I had a one day access to visit and photograph about three weeks before it closed its doors for a final time at the end of 2015. This is but a sample of many images and a book was also created to accompany the work.