#12 CAMERA Book Review: Chris Killip - Askam in Furness

Chris Killip photographed Askam in Furness in 1981 and 1982, documenting the former iron mining village on the Furness Peninsula in Cumbria during a period of profound industrial and social change. Although the mines had closed decades earlier, their legacy continued to shape the landscape and the lives of the community. Killip spent extended periods in the village, developing close relationships with local residents and producing a body of work that examines the interaction between people, industry and the coastal environment. While individual photographs from the series were exhibited during Killip's lifetime, the complete body of work has only recently been presented in its entirety, reflecting its importance within his wider documentary practice.

Rather than focusing on the decline of industry alone, Askam in Furness records the rhythms of everyday life within a community shaped by its industrial past. Children playing on the shoreline, families, workers and the distinctive coastal landscape all become part of a visual narrative that considers how place and identity persist through economic change. The series demonstrates Killip's method of working over long periods within a community, allowing trust and familiarity to develop before making photographs that combine careful observation with a strong sense of social and geographical context. The resulting work stands as an important record of a Cumbrian community at a moment when Britain's industrial landscape was undergoing lasting transformation.

Chris Killip
CRB

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