Bethany Harding- BA (Hons) Photography
10,000 Tonne
10,000 Tonne follows Bethany Harding’s exploration of Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes’ heritage: once the biggest fishing port in the world and surrounded by glory, the town is now mostly kept alive by a lifeline of seasonal tourism and the demands for a traditional chippy tea.
Taking a black and white documentary style approach, Harding frames her appreciation for the local community through taking an untraditional approach to what would usually be an anthology publication. Through the use of diaristic dialogue taken from real encounters, conversations, and general earwigging, she shows a commentary that highlights the innerworkings of the community.
Through use of unconventional printing methods like screen-printing and risograph, Harding is consciously reshaping documentary photography to create a loving body of work that frames the labour and graft that is otherwise unseen. Capturing the overlooked labour and unsung heroes of the local industry, Harding’s work seeks to shed light on the quiet resilience of this industrial town’s closeknit community.
