{"id":33199,"date":"2019-02-22T15:37:33","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T15:37:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=33199"},"modified":"2019-02-22T15:37:33","modified_gmt":"2019-02-22T15:37:33","slug":"bringing-wales-mining-mysteries-to-the-surface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/bringing-wales-mining-mysteries-to-the-surface\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing Wales\u2019 mining mysteries to the surface"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>AN exhibition featuring 3D pictures of former miners from the South Wales coalfield is set to open<em>\u00a0<\/em>in Cardiff.<br \/>\n<em>The Coal Face<\/em>\u00a0depicts the last generation of South Walian coal miners, through 3D portraits, speech and sound and is the work of Richard Jones.<br \/>\nRichard, 50, said: \u201cWales once led coal production, there were over 600 collieries in South Wales alone.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>For this project, I focus on the faces of the people who worked in these mines.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cI am fascinated by\u00a0human\u00a0faces as they age; as people get older their faces become maps of their past.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33211\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33211\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-33211 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-770x577.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-2048x1536.png 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1400x1050.png 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33211\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33211 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-770x577.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-2048x1536.png 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/richard.jones_.09-copy-1400x1050.png 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Richard Jones&#8217; self-portrait<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nFormer colliers from the Rhondda,\u00a0Rhymney, The\u00a0Taff\u00a0and\u00a0Ebbw\u00a0Vale sat through intense studio sessions to create 3D portraits.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nEach 3D image required the men to sit motionless, while they are scanned by high resolution cameras.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>Around 200 images are fed into photogrammetry software, creating 3D images made up of several million points.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nPhotogrammetry is the practice of inputting photographs into software to closely map the subject\u2019s dimensions.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nIn <em>The Coal Face<\/em> it results 3D portraits which appear to pop out of the flat screen.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nThe portraits are overlapped with voice recordings of the men, environmental sounds and composition by Bafta-winning composer, John Rea.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nGrowing up in\u00a0Bedwas and Machen in the Rhymney\u00a0Valley,\u00a0Richard\u2019 completed a\u00a0degree in Microbiology and Chemistry. But there were limited opportunities in the UK to\u00a0pursue\u00a0his dream of becoming a photographer.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cI left for Asia in the late 80s and worked on photojournalism projects in Japan and Hong Kong.<br \/>\n\u201cI photographed for the Sunday Times, The Mail on Sunday, The Sunday Telegraph, The LA Times, Le Point, Stern, NY Times, Time Magazine and more.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cMost of the topics I covered there were heavy, such as the one child policy in China, which led to young boys and girls being stolen.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33206\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33206\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-33206 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-770x578.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-2048x1536.png 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1400x1050.png 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33206\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33206 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-770x578.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-2048x1536.png 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/M-1-1400x1050.png 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Example of Richard&#8217;s previous work: Mr and Mrs Ma holds a picture of her son Ma Purei, 3, who was stolen March 22nd 2004.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nRichard won several Human Rights Press Awards and was\u00a0nominated and commended at the UK Press Awards &#8211; a first for a photographer.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nOn his return to Wales in 2012, Richard focused on artistic photography, rather than journalistic.\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nHowever, storytelling is\u00a0still\u00a0central to his work &#8211; as\u00a0<i>The Coal Face <\/i>shows<i>.<\/i><br \/>\n\u201cIt might be the visual art that grabs attention in the first instance, but it\u2019s not just visual,&#8221; he said.<br \/>\n\u201cThe mixture of elements \u2013 sounds, imagery and speech \u2013 is a personal preference, I want to draw people in and immerse them in the story.<br \/>\n\u201cA big part of producing good work is knowing the people and building a relationship with them.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nRichard spoke to <em>The Cardiffian<\/em> about\u00a0one former colliery worker he spoke to.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nTerry Seargent, who is now in his mid-80s, from Mount Pleasant,\u00a0worked in\u00a0Merthyr\u00a0Vale Colliery.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nTerry was nine years old when his father died and, as the oldest son, was the bread-winner of the family.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nTerry said: \u201cI went underground at the age of 15, as soon as I was allowed to.\u00a0Three times I was nearly killed underground.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>I could never believe the mines were going to close, it was the saddest day of my life.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cBut with Maggie Thatcher closing the mines you have to ask: \u2018Did she save my life?\u2019\u00a0 I would have been underground another 15 years if the pits didn\u2019t close. So, did she save my life?\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cIf I had my life over again, I\u2019d go straight back down the pit.\u201d\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33213\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33213\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-33213 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1007x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1007x1024.jpg 1007w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-295x300.jpg 295w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-770x783.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1510x1536.jpg 1510w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-2013x2048.jpg 2013w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-500x509.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-293x298.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1400x1424.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33213\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33213 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1007x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"976\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1007x1024.jpg 1007w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-295x300.jpg 295w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-770x783.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1510x1536.jpg 1510w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-2013x2048.jpg 2013w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-500x509.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-293x298.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/RichardJones.TheCoalFace.Diffusion-2019-06-copy-2-1400x1424.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Above:\u00a0\u00a0Portrait of miner Terry Seargent, from <em>The Coal Face<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_33202\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33202\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-33202 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-770x578.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-2048x1536.png 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1400x1050.png 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33202\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-33202 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-770x578.png 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-2048x1536.png 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-500x375.png 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-293x220.png 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner-1400x1050.png 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Above: Portrait of mine engineer Keith Tomlin, mid-80s from\u00a0<em>The Coal Face<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\nRichard said he has family connection to the topic: his great-grandfather was a Welsh miner who sustained serious leg injuries in a mining accident.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nWhat fascinates him most, though, is the mystery of the underground.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nHe said: \u201cWhat I find really interesting is that miners worked below the surface \u2013 it is an unknown world to most people, but also a big part of our history in Wales.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n\u201cWhen I got back to Wales, I noticed changes to the landscape.\u00a0The mines \u2013 many of which were closing or had closed when I left \u2013 were gone.\u201d<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nThe\u00a0ages of the men in\u00a0<i>The Coal Face<\/i>\u00a0average at around 70 to 80-years of age, with the oldest being 95-years-old and the youngest in their\u00a0late 50s.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nThese men are\u00a0the last generation of Welsh coal miners and Richard brings their mysterious history to the surface with\u00a0<i>The Coal Face<\/i>.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"3\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">You can see\u00a0<i>The Coal Face\u00a0<\/i>from 4 April to\u00a031 April 2019\u00a0at Shift, Capitol Shopping Centre, Cardiff and The\u00a0Senedd, Cardiff Bay.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"3\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><em>The Coal Face<\/em> is part of Diffusion Festival 2019, an international photography festival, bringing exhibitions, discussions, screenings and performances to Cardiff\u00a0biennially.<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"3\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\">In April, artists will showcase their work in various venues across the city, relating to this year\u2019s theme:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.diffusionfestival.org\/about?mc_cid=7d425cb298&amp;mc_eid=19dc086901\">Sound and Vision.<\/a>\u00a0<span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AN exhibition featuring 3D pictures of former miners from the South Wales coalfield is set to open\u00a0in Cardiff. The Coal Face\u00a0depicts the last generation of South Walian coal miners, through 3D portraits, speech and sound and is the work of Richard Jones. Richard, 50, said: \u201cWales once led coal production, there were over 600 collieries in South Wales alone.\u00a0For this project, I focus on the faces of the people who worked in these mines.\u00a0 \u201cI am fascinated by\u00a0human\u00a0faces as they [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":124,"featured_media":33202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,113],"tags":[356,6404,1182,6405,1426,293],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-33199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city","category-uncategorised","tag-art","tag-diffusionfestival","tag-heritage","tag-mining","tag-photography","tag-welsh"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Bringing Wales\u2019 mining mysteries to the surface - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/bringing-wales-mining-mysteries-to-the-surface\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bringing Wales\u2019 mining mysteries to the surface - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AN exhibition featuring 3D pictures of former miners from the South Wales coalfield is set to open\u00a0in Cardiff. The Coal Face\u00a0depicts the last generation of South Walian coal miners, through 3D portraits, speech and sound and is the work of Richard Jones. Richard, 50, said: \u201cWales once led coal production, there were over 600 collieries in South Wales alone.\u00a0For this project, I focus on the faces of the people who worked in these mines.\u00a0 \u201cI am fascinated by\u00a0human\u00a0faces as they [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/bringing-wales-mining-mysteries-to-the-surface\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-22T15:37:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/02\/Miner.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"3088\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2316\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lucy John\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lucy John\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/bringing-wales-mining-mysteries-to-the-surface\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/02\/22\/bringing-wales-mining-mysteries-to-the-surface\/\",\"name\":\"Bringing Wales\u2019 mining mysteries to the surface - 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