Autumn Talks
Published:
Launching three newspaper-style publications: Shuttles, Steam, Soot. BOP Bristol 12.10.25. Photo Oxford 6.11.25…
Daniel Meadows will tell the tale of his long-lost work: ‘Shuttles, Steam and Soot’ which he has reconstructed into a touring exhibition accompanied by three new publications.
In 1975, Daniel embarked on a two-year post as photographer-in-residence to the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, where he was drawn to photographing Bancroft Shed, the last remaining steam-powered cotton-weaving mill in the district. Against a backdrop of industrial decline, Daniel documented the life of the mill, creating a remarkable portrait of the people who worked there and those who serviced it.
The resulting exhibition — one of the Half Moon Photography Workshop’s legendary radical programme of affordable, portable, touring shows — was first exhibited in 1978. It toured to community centres across the UK and to Germany before it was worn-out and destroyed.
Fifty years on, Daniel has worked with Four Corners in London to recreate the show and Bluecoat Press has published a series of limited-edition newspapers — ‘Shuttles’, ‘Steam’ and ‘Soot’ — to accompany its tour.
Join Daniel as he shares images and audio recordings from this rarely seen body of work. Followed by questions from the floor and a signing.
Books of Photography (BOP) Bristol, Sunday 12 October 2025, 3.40pm
Martin Parr Foundation, 316 Paintworks, Bristol BS4 3AR
Photo Oxford, Thursday 6 November 2025, 5.00pm
Oxford Westgate Library, 228 The Westgate, Queen St, Oxford OX1 1PE
In Oxford, Daniel's talk will take place in the venue where the exhibition Shuttles Steam and Soot is showing: 25 October to 25 November.