Station to Station
For three years, students on the Documentary Photography programme at USW have ventured out into the valleys of South Wales for an intense three-day immersion into the communities residing there. This publication showcases the outstanding work that has been produced during these assignments.
Mentored by Gareth Phillips and Janire Najera, the students travel the Rhymney line and the Treherbert line in search of stories worth telling. They have covered fans enjoying the rugby, teens hanging out, shopkeepers running their stores, shoppers on a Saturday trip into town, workers in a cheese factory, worshippers at the temple, and gents enjoying a swift half down the pub. They have captured street scenes and landscapes, portraits and close ups, textures and details. By creating this collective body of work, the students offer an insight into contemporary life in the valleys.
Station to Station is a nod to both David Bowie's Iyrics, but also to the remarkable history of social engagement of the Documentary Photography course at the University of South Wales, in particular the Newport Survey project from the 1980s, with its unique portrayal of everyday life.
This project has been led by David Barnes, Paul Reas, Gareth Phillips and Janire Najera, curated by Karin Bareman, and produced by Nate Davies, Gawain Barnard, Matthew Harry, and Alex Campbell-Reeves.