Alistair Grimley

bio

Born in 1996.

Alistair David Grimley is an award-winning photographer, curator and researcher specialising in the legacy of post-industrial society. His work centres on understanding, through visualisation, what the impact of industrially focused societies has had on the development of the modern world and how that narrative shapes the future.

Alistair is based in Stoke-On-Trent, working throughout the United Kingdom and Internationally.

In June 2018 Alistair founded Two Forty Four.

Featured Works

In the Shadow of the Atom (Ongoing)

This project is a visual exploration of life around Britain’s nuclear sites starting with Sellafield in Cumbria. Using new and found images it in tends to tell the story of Britain’s modern nuclear industry and what life in the shadow of the atom is like.

The village of Seascale is located approximately 3 miles from Britain’s largest and most radioactive nuclear site. Though not used for energy or weapon production any more it is still a major player in Britain’s nuclear industry handling most of the nations nuclear waste. The inhabitants of Seascale like much of the Cumbrian cost have grown up with Sellafield as the source of much of their local economies. The first part of this project will explore Seascale and its relationship to Sellafield, watch this space for more.

This project is currently in production while studying at the University of Central Lancashire with the help of Ellie Dunne Photography and others local to the area.

1500 Volts (2018)

In 1845, a railway line between Manchester and Sheffield was opened via the Longdendale valley which traversed the northern tip of the Peak District. It initially became famous for its 3 mile long Woodhead tunnels and inspirational scenery. In 1954, the 41.5 mile line became one of the first in the United Kingdom to receive overhead electrification to aid heavy coal trains ascending the steep gradients. However, in 1970, all passenger operations along the line ceased and by July 1981 the final freight train had ascended its gradients. The line was official mothballed by British Rail, so by the mid-1980’s, much of the track had been removed and turned into a cycle path. Today the line no longer exists east of Hadfield and its famous tunnels no longer carry trains but instead are home to power cables for the National Grid.

1500 Volts is an exploration of the lines legacy and what remains today. This work, a visual investigation, explores the barren and isolated landscape which is long devoid of the railway that carved it. 1500 Volts tells the story of something that is missing. Like an unsolved cold case, its facts remain elusive and the evidence of its existence is fast fading. 1500 Volts is an ongoing photographic based research project which works in collaboration with those who worked the line, those who tried to save it and those who keep its memory alive. This work forms the story of what came after the line was closed and explores what its legacy stands for.

In July 2018 1500 Volts won the Lancashire Arts Festival Award for Media (Photography).