My Interpretation of Jeremy Deller’s Battle of Orgreave and how I reflected upon the importance of time and place of this piece.
‘Every event described in history, every series of events reconstructed, has to have a place.
– F. Lukerman
I believe Art History now forms a larger part of the Art world, this re-enactment the first of many for Deller is an important inclusion of this type of conceptual art.
Watching Deller’s piece on The Battle of Orgreave drew me into researching more about Ian McGregor and Margret Thatcher and why the coal miners went on strike on strike in 1984. The National Coal board issued a statement to close 20 mines, laying off 20 000 workers. In my opinion there was no thought behind what would happen to these communities and people, so they picketed, refusing to go to work. It seemed that Thatcher refused to be ruled by a ‘mob’ of working-class union people. This brought about the 18th June 1984 strike which was the most violent clashes in British History and lasted a year. Thatcher would then go on to Privatise all Government Businesses.
Deller’s Battle of Orgreave is in some way part of my heritage. I may not have been there, but I had family who worked in the coal mines and shunted coal to stock piles. I can only imagine how it must have felt for them to have their livelihood thrown by the wayside with no other option of change or help. It is a political piece of work told and depicted as historical art, that still evokes feelings of anger, anguish, shame and sadness, on both sides
I think Deller through this piece of art re-ignited an outcry for justice not just for the people of Orgreave but for the mining community. It is a shame that Theresa May has dropped the processes of a full inquiry into the handling of The Battle of Orgreave as this would have revealed the true intention of what was behind Thatcher’s process of bringing the British coal industry up to competitive levels by, closing mines and making people and communities redundant.
Image: John Harris
Deller planned a lot into this historical piece of art. As a young boy he watched this story unfold on television and 17 years later he still felt anger and thus began the re-enactment, “being on the miner’s side”, as well as ensuring that this Time and Place in history would never be forgotten. That the chant ‘Miners, Miners we will not be defeated’ can still be heard today. The story was never told from the miner’s side, Deller wanted to be fair in bringing to light as much of the truth behind what happened. The miners did not want a fight, they wanted a peaceful picket against what the Government had promised. The Miners were there ‘fighting for more than just that field’, more than the coal or few lorries, they were fighting for their livelihood, their homes and their families.
The use of Actors, and the mix of actual people involved in the event, was in my estimation a huge success. It brought out stories, probably never told, brought out feelings that could be seen and felt. The collaboration between actor and original people helped to make it authentic. The use of music to bring about a drum beat like that used in civil wars was very effective and that actual miners were also given different roles, acting as policeman, gave them a different point of view as to how terrifying it must have been for the police on the day.
The major highlight that comes across to me in this piece is that History seems to be repeating itself. It seems that even today if one raises their voice or have an opinion, your opinion is squashed. This mimics what is happening in my own country Zimbabwe, the political upheaval there. The underdog of the nation trying to fight the ever-mighty Government in power. The loss the people have suffered, lives, land, family. It seems that sometimes people in power don’t always do the right thing by the people they govern, but they get away with and this should surely be questionable?
Deller could not have done this film without trust, trust that he would portray the miners in their true light, also knowing that he would see it from both sides. He wanted to use the town of Orgreave to create his masterpiece of history, in using the same space/place he brought back memories. “The phantoms arise again, the ghosts arise again, that’s how I saw it” It was a time when New Labour was in power, when the Art world was on the up and maybe for Deller it was a time for reflection on a pinnacle and traumatic time in British History, a story to be told, to be recaptured and never forgotten, “not just simple jobs…but also local identity and the importance of place to our continued sense of self.”
This piece of work caused me to research deeper into the actions of Thatcher, her statements “If you can’t survive in a free market economy, you don’t deserve to survive at all.” It drew me to reflect upon a safer way to make changes. If there had been amicable discussions, showing ways to improve productivity and training, without the loss of jobs and communities, this would that have been a better outcome. It is well known in the north that Thatcher’s view was it was not the government’s responsibility to look after the miners or communities, but it was the miner’s responsibility to change themselves. “There is no such thing as society… the quality of our lives will depend upon how much each of us is prepared to take responsibility for ourselves and each of us prepared to turn round and help by our own efforts those who are unfortunate.”- Margaret Thatcher. It is inevitable that change would have happened, but it needed to be done in a structured approach, after all her way ended up with countless of unemployed people and communities without support.
Culturally all around the world education is the biggest problem facing countries, each Government is more in power if they have uneducated people. Again, Zimbabwe comes to mind. Art in all its forms, in my opinion, educate people quicker than anything because it connects people.
Deller’s work of the Battle of Orgreave is to me all that Art stands for. It shows collaboration, it provokes conversations and there is a definite response to it. It brings back memories of time, era, place, feel and sound. It’s engaging, it asks for your undivided attention and then it releases back to you your own interpretation of what you will make from it.
It’s a ‘Social Sculpture by opening up the concept that art is more than just paint on a canvas, it’s about freedom and possibility.’
Word count 1128
I will be reassessing the tutors feedback and be placing an updated version on line.
Bibliography:
This piece was Commissioned and produced by Artangel, was filmed by Mike Figgis for Artangel Media and Channel 4, Event Creator was Jeremey Deller.
Books:
Art Works Place – Tacita Dean and Jeremy Millar
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brP6D_AICJA – Miners’ Strike At Orgreave, 1984 – Film 37350
Archive footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHyb7ELmHbA – The Miners Strike 1984 Battle of Orgreave songs and images
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn7DZSagDI4 – The Battle for Orgreave by YvetteVanson 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLruhCZf24g – 2013 Jeremy Deller influenced by Andy Warhol explains his art on Hardtalk
http://www.jeremydeller.org/TheBattleOfOrgreave/TheBattleOfOrgreave.php – Exert from the film
Media/Newspapers
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/jun/19/artsfeatures – Missiles fly, truncheons swing, police chase miners as cars burn. It’s all very exciting. But why is it art?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/18/scandal-of-orgreave-miners-strike-hillsborough-theresa-may – The scandal of Orgreave
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2535969/The-days-coal-Haunting-photos-darkness-danger-miners-life-Yorkshires-working-pit.html – The last days of coal: Haunting photos show darkness and danger of miners’ life in one of Yorkshire’s last working pits
https://www.joshuakennon.com/margaret-thatcher-and-the-british-coal-miners-strike/ – Margaret Thatcher and the British Coal Miners’ Strike
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/04/police-fahy-inquiry-1980s-miners- strike-scargill-orgreave-thatcher-hillsborough – Former chief constable calls for public inquiry into Orgreave clashes and beyond
https://www.ft.com/content/67da1790-3120-11e6-ad39-3fee5ffe5b5b – Orgreave revisited, , Thirty-two years ago, miners and police fought a pitched battle for the future of industrial relations in Britain. John Gapper returns to the scene
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