153 modern silver gelatin prints from a set of pictures made at the seacoal camp in Lynemouth, Northumberland.

In 1975 Chris Killip received a fellowship from the Northern Gas Board to photograph the laying of a natural gas pipeline near Newcastle, which for him became the start of a deep engagement with that area of the North East. He first attempted to photograph on Lynemouth Beach in 1976 but was quickly given the boot by those living and working there – again he tried, and in the end it took nearly six years to gain the trust of the community.

Between 1982 to 1984, Killip lived on and off in a caravan at the seacoal camp in Lynemouth – becoming an embedded part of the community, Killip observed the daily struggles to work and survive in this inhospitable environment. As well as the scenes of hard working conditions, images of tenderness in the relationships between the residents show kindness and camaraderie in times of uncertainty as the region underwent rapid de-industrialisation.

Fourteen of the images taken in the Seacoal camp were included in the seminal book In Flagrante, and in 2011 a book dedicated to the series was published by Steidl entitled Seacoal, which was later reissued again in 2015.

MEDIUM
Modern silver gelatin prints

DIMENSION
48 prints = 40.6 x 50.8cm
104 prints = 50.8 x 60.9cm

PRINTS
152

DATES
1982 – 1984

Prints housed on behalf of Chris Killip Photography Trust.