Photography in Context: All That Is Solid Melt Into Air by Jeremy Deller

Exhibition by Jeremy Deller, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air.

In All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, Deller takes a personal look at the impact of the Industrial Revolution on British popular culture and its persisting influence on our lives today. Within The Manchester art gallery, the workplace was a major component of Deller’s exhibition, which combines contemporary music, film and a range of 19th century images and objects. I felt his exhibition was initially very powerful due to a few key attractions, including the jukebox around the center of the room, which was placed against a wall with an extravagant explosion wall painting.

Deller’s exhibition included the trauma of the Industrial Revolution and focused on figures such as Adrian Street, who rejected a life in the mines to become a flamboyant international wrestler. I felt the overall feel of the room was very powerful and I felt with all the music and film that was included was very satisfying for most of the senses.

When exploring the gallery, I noticed links within parts of Deller’s exhibition. The exhibition was planned out with male workers portaits on the left and women on the right side of the room. There was a selection of powerful women’s portrait photographs named The Shit Old Days by Annelie Wendeberg. These were anonymous photographs of women workers from the Tredegar Ironworks in South Wales and were photographed by a local photographer William Clayton. These photographs were in response to a public debate about the role of women in heavy industry. As well as these set of images, I found a single blow up photograph of a women in an Amazon workplace by Ben Howard. I feel these photographs show a clear contrast in how the workplace has changed and that women are now accepted into the heavy industry. There is also a very large contrast in what they’re hold, whilst the women within the amazon warehouse holds an electronic device, the women within the series of photographs within Tredegar Ironworks are holding multiply items.

Photograph from The Shit old Days by William Clayton.