The Lie of the Land explores the social history of the land looking at the hidden historical human impact on the countryside, narrating a story of gender and class that has long been forgotten, or never told. The series invites us to consider the human relationship with the land, to think about the future for its custodianship. 

In the Lie of the Land, A collaboration with twelve women who identify as working class or low income living in rural areas in the North East of England.

The series is formed of large format co-created portraiture, landscape and small detailed still-lifes of the objects chosen by the women as identity markers. Accompanying the photographs are a sound piece, grouse butt with video and handwritten diaries. 

A ravaged landscape, but once the start of the industrial revolution. In the late 18th century lead extraction and mining became more organized, leading to larger scale mines and exploitation of workers. Exploitation of the working class is echoed today in the hidden work of the women. Spoil heaps, structures, shafts stand as visual metaphors, markers and passages to the past, hinting at one of the earliest examples of the human touch on a poisoned landscape. Land sits barren and degraded, the communities of this area are broken up. The series shows the interconnected relationship between economics, consumption, and social capital. The market collapsed in 1880, and was followed by further collapses to coal. The story of cheaper imports tells us of something happening globally that is unique to the human relationship with the land. Economic prosperity passed through but at what cost, to the land and to those that labour? 

‘Daughters of the Soil’, by documentary photographer Joanne Coates is the cumulation of twelve months of research into the role of women in agriculture in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. The exhibition aims to redress the lack of documentation of female farmworkers, who have played a central role in agricultural progress throughout history, with captivating portraits of women’s role in farming. Women make up 28% of the farming industry in the UK, and their contribution is significant but often overlooked, with underlying barriers such as access to land, class, motherhood, and lack of clear leadership roles assisting this.

The project offered the opportunity for me to chronicle the lives and stories of these women. Women aren’t as visible as men on farms, but we are seeing them more often. The female workforce is driving tractors, having a social media presence, and can be seen on the TV, but they don’t often inherit land or work in leadership positions. In the arts, projects often get made by an outsider about areas, places, spaces, people they want to learn about. Especially in photography, depictions of rurality and gender often come only from the outside. As someone who has worked as a farm labourer and worker, who lives in a very rural area with a partner who farms, my work offers a different perspective. For me it is a perspective often overlooked and not seen and I wanted to share this through the work

The work was produced during a residency with the Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Newcastle University’s Centre for Rural Economy (CRE) and Institute for Creative Arts Practice with the support of Arts Council England. Coates worked collaboratively with Professor Sally Shortall, Duke of Northumberland Chair of Rural Economy at CRE, whose research focuses on gender relations in agriculture. This iteration of the exhibition includes a sound installation developed in collaboration with Scottish composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Erland Cooper. A limited-edition hardback book of photographs and texts was produced to accompany the exhibition.

The work is being carried to include others areas across the North of England including The Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks culminating in an outdoor exhibition in 2024.

Installation with sound piece at Vane gallery Gateshead, August 11th - 11th September 2022

The work has toured to Tennants Gallery, North Yorkshire August 28th - 28th September, 2022.

Installation images and exhibition at The Gymnasium Gallery Berwick -Upon-Tweed. April-June 2022