Since moving to South Wales ten years ago I have been interested in the mining heritage of the valleys. My journey started in 1968, and since then Documentary and Street Photography have become my principle genres. I recently completed a project titled “Coal, The Last Train from Tower to Aberthaw”. This followed the last year of a joint scheme between Tower Colliery and Hargreaves Services to extract coal from the surface mine and supply fuel for Aberthaw Power Station. The final week of production started in February 2017 and the photo-book showed coal extraction, loading coal, the power station operation and the final rail journeys.
Tower are now deep into the regeneration phase, restoring the landscape for future development by the Rhondda Cynon Taff Council. My current project ‘REGENERATION – The Tower Story’ follows on to document this phase of the scheme. My intention is to produce images showing the work in progress on the site set in contrast to portraits of some of the interested participants from the local community.
This work is part of an on-going series representing how we deal with the industrial landscapes in South Wales and the wider world. I am trying to communicate how the miners and local people feel about their mining heritage and the “Land of their Fathers”. Most people I have spoken to are very proud of the work done by the miners, also of the landscape around them. I want to convey both these elements in my images.
Mae gennyf ddiddordeb yn nhreftadaeth lofaol y cymoedd byth ers symud i dde Cymru deng mlynedd yn ôl. Dechreuodd fy nhaith ym 1968, ac ers hynny mae ffotograffiaeth ddogfen a’r stryd wedi datblygu’n brif genre i mi. Yn ddiweddar, cwblheais brosiect o’r enw “Coal, The Last Train from Tower to Aberthaw”. Prosiect a oedd yn dilyn blwyddyn olaf o gydweithio rhwng glofa’r Twr a Hargreaves Services i gloddio am lo brig a chyflenwi tanwydd i bwerdy Aberddawan. Dechreuodd wythnos olaf y cynhyrchu ym mis Chwefror 2017, ac roedd y llyfr lluniau yn dangos prosesau cloddio glo, y pwerdy ar waith a’r teithiau trên olaf.
Mae safle’r Twr bellach yn cael ei adfer ar gyfer datblygiadau’r dyfodol gan Gyngor Rhondda Cynon Taf. Mae fy mhrosiect cyfredol, ‘REGENERATION – The Tower Story’, yn olrhain cam nesa’r cynllun adfer. Fy mwriad yw creu delweddau sy’n dangos y gwaith sydd ar droed yn y safle law yn llaw â phortreadau o rai o gymeriadau’r ardal leol.
Mae’r gwaith hwn yn rhan o gyfres barhaus sy’n cynrychioli’r modd rydyn ni’n ymdrin â hen dirweddau diwydiannol de Cymru a thu hwnt. Rwy’n ceisio cyfleu teimladau’r glowyr a’r trigolion lleol at eu treftadaeth lofaol a “hen wlad eu tadau”. Mae’r rhan fwyaf o’r bobl y siaradais â nhw yn falch iawn o waith y glowyr, a’r dirwedd o’u hamgylch. Fy nod yw cyfleu’r elfennau hyn trwy gyfrwng fy lluniau.
