Photo Documentary and Photo Stories from Around the World
Mik Critchow's Page
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Mining Apprentices - Carl Upcast Drift Mine
Ashington Colliery 1981
Profile Information
- Photographer :
- Mik Critchlow
- About Me:
- In 1977 Mik began an ongoing project to photograph his home town of Ashington and its people, during a period of rapid, social & environmental change. After several years as a merchant seaman, he studied graphic design in his native Northumberland. While at college he received his first commission by MidNAG (Mid Northumberland Art Group) to produce an exhibition documenting his home town of Ashington - Once reputed to be the largest pit village in Europe.
The son of a miner, he worked within the community with a deep-rooted empathy for his subjects, documenting the area and its people during a rapid period of social and environmental change.
Between 1979 and 1983 Mik was awarded five arts production awards from Northern Arts to continue a series of long term photography projects in the North East of England including 'Pitheads' which examined the working environment of colliery workers, 'Whippet's' which explored dog racing culture in South East Northumberlandand & 'Seacoalers', which documented the lifestyle of families working on the beaches of Lynemouth, Northumberland.
In 1987, a 10-year retrospective exhibition, 'Ashington - A Coal Mining Town', was shown at Side Gallery, Newcastle Upon Tyne.
A major commission followed from Side to undertake a project documenting the lifestyle and working environment of merchant seafarers : Seamen'. In many ways a 'return journey', the project lasted for three years, including 16 months working with seamen and their families in Dover during the P&O ferries strike. A work in progress exhibition, 'Seamen - The Ferries Dispute', launched Side Gallery's NOW exhibition space in 1988.
In 1990 Mik travelled to Nicaragua and photographed the preparations and aftermath of the Sandanista's shock election defeat. The work was subsequently shown at Side Gallery and also used by the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign & War On Want.
During the nineties Critchlow worked mainly for trade unions and development agencies, supplemented by teaching work within colleges & schools, on photographer-in-residence placements through Northern Arts & Arts Council funding.
Throughout the late 1970s, the 80s and the early to mid 90s, Mik continued to work as a social documentary photographer.
Published & exhibited widely, Mik's work is held in many private & public collections worldwide.
Before giving up photography for health reasons in 1996 his last major photography project involved documenting Ellington Pit in Northumberland, when closure was threatened in the mid 90s.
He was later commissioned by Northumberland County Archives & Woodhorn Museum to document the last shift of Ellington Colliery, Northumberland's last deep coal mine in 2005.
- Website:
- http://www.mikcritchlow.co.uk
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My name is Mis Suzanne, i saw your profile today on photojournal.ning.com
and become interested,Please i want you to contact me through my email address( suzanneakibbo@yahoo.com ) so i can tell you about me and my pictures, please i am waiting to see your mail on this my email address (suzanneakibbo@yahoo.com).
Suzanne,