The closure of Tata Steel’s blast furnaces marks the end of an era for steelmaking in Wales. Photographers Jon Pountney and Mark Griffiths have been given access to capture the final days of the Port Talbot steelworks. Pountney’s current project, The Allure or Ruins, focuses on post-industrial relics and landscapes of Wales. He described the experience of entering the steelworks for the first time as “terrifying”, and that it is hard to comprehend as an outsider. Griffiths, who grew up in Port Talbot, made a short film called “The Beginning Of The End” to capture the community’s reaction to an uncertain future. He hopes his work will keep the town’s story in people’s minds and encourage those in power to look out for the community.
Around 2,000 jobs will be lost when Tata’s second blast furnace shuts down by the end of the month. The closure will devastate the town of Port Talbot and the surrounding area, with many businesses relying on the steelworks for their livelihood. Griffiths spoke to local MP Stephen Kinnock, a mental health charity, a union representative and a business owner during the making of “The Beginning Of The End”. He wanted to tell the story of a community facing an unprecedented level of change. He said Port Talbot has a “valley’s mentality”, where everyone is “one giant family” who “looks out for each other”.
Pountney’s work captures the last moments of an industry that once defined the country. Although the closure of the steelworks is a difficult time for the community, he believes the people of Wales will keep moving forward through their pragmatic nature. Pountney said even in bad times, like the miners’ strike, Welsh people keep pushing forward. They will “have order, we will have society, we will look after each other”, and there’s always tomorrow
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
