Researching the working class
Durham Miners Gala 11th July 2015
As I take great interest in documentary photography, especially when it comes to documenting the everyday life and people I live amongst, over summer I am starting to Document the working class. For my dissertation I expect to research the representation of the working class of Britain through medias such as Photography and Television. I understand this means looking at various photographers and television programs which give a variety of perceptions of the working class from all across Britain, however to begin with I am using my own photography to start creating a body of work of the 'working class' or people of the North East.
Something which me and my family have took part in for longer than I have even been around is the yearly event of Durhams Miner's Gala, or "Durham Big meeting" as we call it. This is an event held each year by the Durham miners association to remember and celebrate the miners from all across the Durham Area. Famously pits across the country especially in the North closed during the Thatcher era, leading to thousands of people loosing their jobs. Pit villages came to a stand still, and thousands of families and villages suffered due to the closure of the pits.
If the people are not their to support their past mining careers or relatives involved in the mines, they are there to support trade unions or the working class people of today. Some even just see it as a day to celebrate and drink. I've gone almost every year of my life to this event, but now at the age I am, I've started to notice the heavy emphasis on politics, the hate for 'Tory's' and the importance of supporting the working class, the majority of people in the country rather than the minority.
I chose to capture the day in a documentary style, simply capturing images of these people going about their normal 'Big Meeting' activities. Its a day full of joy and pride, and this year I saw it possibly the busiest I've ever seen it, so that is something I wanted to get across in my images; The coming together of these people from local villages, celebrating their heritage. I feel my images work well together in a series, telling a story of the day from beginning to end. Waiting with my local banner, walking in the parade behind the banner, then getting to the show field where i stood and listened to the speeches.
