Bleep

Press Release

Curated and edited by designer and author Craig Oldham, In Loving Memory of Work tells the story of the UK Miners' Strike 1984-85 through a record of the visual culture of the working class affected during this pivotal period. Photographs, posters, badges, banners and more are presented here alongside contemporary commentary that creates both a fascinating document of a specific historical period, as well as an exploration of dissent more broadly, and the vital role visual material can play in the radical, even revolutionary, moment. Originally published in 2015, this revised and updated Rough Trade Books edition features a raft of brand-new material to mark the upcoming 40th anniversary of the dispute, celebrating the breadth of working class creativity while simultaneously paying homage to a devastated community.

THE CONTRIBUTORS Alongside a foreword from acclaimed film director Ken Loach, are original contributions from comedian Alexei Sayle, Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, as well as notable designers including Ian Anderson (The Designers Republic), Jonathan Barnbrook, Ken Garland, and design critic Rick Poynor. Featuring rare visual material from the collections of the Working Class Movement Library, the National Union of Mineworkers, and artist Darren Coffield, the book also includes recollections and material from Women Against Pit Closure’s co-founder, Anne Scargill (former wife of the NUM leader during the strike, Arthur Scargill), alongside female activists Betty Cook and Aggie Currie, as well as political cartoonist Alan Hardman, banner artists Ed Hall and Andrew Turner, filmmaker Yvette Vanson, Mike Mansfield QC, and designer Paul Morton.

The book also explores one of the strike’s most iconic and enduring images, that of the defenceless Lesley Boulton, about to be struck by a mounted policeman during the now infamous ‘Battle of Orgreave’ through interviews with both Boulton herself and photographer, John Harris.

“THIS BOOK IS A SHINING EXAMPLE OF THE NEED FOR THE ARTS TO BE INVOLVED IN POLITICAL MOVEMENTS.” —THE MORNING STAR

“A POWERFUL AND STIMULATING RECORD OF THE STRIKE... A BEAUTIFULLY PRODUCED BOOK.” —THE SOCIALIST WORKER

“A PASSIONATE AND IMPRESSIVE REFLECTION OF A DISTURBING MOMENT IN BRITISH HISTORY.” —DEYAN SUDJIC, DIRECTOR, DESIGN MUSEUM

“A FINE TESTAMENT TO THAT INCREDIBLE STRUGGLE... EVERY COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SHOULD PLACE AN ORDER!” —KEN LOACH