Land of Oak & Iron are excited to host this new exhibition by Consett in Focus Documentary Photograph Group.

Daily 2nd Sept – 31 October.

The aim of this group is to document the lives of the people of the Consett area through photography. We intend to show many aspects of the lives of the people of Consett, cultural, working, leisure and any other aspects we consider of interest.

“During our previous project, Consett Corona Photo Project, which documented the impact of the pandemic on the people of the town, we became aware of the numerous stories and activities that existed in the area that perhaps were little known and worthy of recording.

Therefore the aim of this particular project, ‘Consett: Town of Culture’ is to document the artistic life, in the broadest sense, of the people of the town.

We are aware that, historically, Consett had an extensive and vibrant cultural life with numerous choirs, drama groups, music ensembles etc. as well as individual performers, both entertaining the citizens and providing an artistic outlet for the people of the town. We were also aware that these activities brought an element of social cohesion to the town that is worthy of both recording and celebrating.

In recent years, these activities have become less obvious but we felt that they were probably still there if we looked. Therefore we decided to investigate and contacted various groups and individuals that we thought might be involved.
During the course of the project we intend to post photographs onto Facebook at Consett: Town of Culture and our website: www.consettinfocus.weebly.com as a continuing display of our work.

We have also published pictures monthly in the Consett Magazine and have exhibitions at various venues in the area both during the project and at its finale. The timescale for the project is initially a year to enable us to cover all the seasonal activities and events.”

The exhibition at the Heritage Centre’s Inside Out Gallery runs until the end of October.

THE PHOTOGRAPHERS:

George Ledger

George was born in Stanley, Derwentside and after a short stay in the West Midlands as a child returned to Derwentside. He has lived in Consett all his married life and worked for Derwentside District Council and Durham Constabulary, retiring from the Police in 2010 and becoming a professional photographer, specialising in sports and corporate work. He has been an active member of both Consett and Hexham Photography Societies for over 35 years.

Chris Bruce

Chris was born and brought up in Consett and after university returned to live there. He has been an enthusiastic photographer since the age of 18 and a member of Consett Camera Club for many years as well as teaching photography part-time at a local school.  He has found photographing people for these projects has been a real inspiration, both in the images produced and the stories they tell.

Steve Webb

Steve has lived in Consett for 16 years having been born in Barnsley.  He has worked in various organisations, Cheshire Fire Service, Tyne & Wear Fire Service and a manufacturing manager in the automotive industry. Photography has been a passion from his teenage years. He is also member of Consett Camera Club.

Abbie Thompson

Abbie was raised in Consett and attended Moorside Community College.  She has recently completed a BA in Photography at Newcastle specialising in fine art and portraiture which she hopes to continue to develop.  Her motivations are the people she photographs as each individual tells a fascinating story.