‘Working Lives’ by John Darwell

This Manchester issue of Occupational Medicine features a selection of photographs by John Darwell. ‘Working Lives’ was commissioned in 1986 by Stockport Museums and Gallery Service as part of ‘British Industry Year.’ John’s aim was to look at the clothing industries around the Stockport area, historically famous as a centre of the hatting industry, but also other traditional industries such as leather production and clog making. ‘Looking back on these images from a gap of almost 20 years it seems impossible to imagine such working conditions today; in fact one of the locations is now a museum! As society has changed so have people’s workplaces, and interestingly, their physicality. It would be fascinating for me as explorer and documentor to be offered the opportunity to revisit these locations to see what has changed over the intervening period, but perhaps what would be of even more interest would be to see what hasn’t.’ John Darwell is an independent photographer working with museums and galleries on projects that reflect his interest in social and industrial change and his concern for the environment. He is a lecturer and researcher on the BA Hons Photography course at the Cumbria Institute of the Arts.