Presented by Refractive Film and Digital Arts, Industrial Epic brings together photography and film from the AmberSide Collection tracing the scale, force and atmosphere of industry across the North East of England.

Shipyards, factories, refineries and mines appear here not simply as workplaces, but as landscapes shaped by labour. Smoke, steam, heat and light move through structures large enough to alter the horizon. These were places built around production, and around the knowledge, skill and physical effort of the people who worked within them.

Seen now, the images hold both the confidence of an industrial world at full force and the weight of what followed. They speak to pride in work and making, but also to landscapes and communities profoundly changed by deindustrialisation.

Shown in Paisley, that history enters into conversation with another place shaped by industry and its loss. The histories are distinct, but there is recognition between them: in the relationship between work and place, in what industry built around itself, and in what remains when it disappears.

Showing Film and photography by:

Amber Film & Photography Collective, Mik Crichlow, Darlington Media Group, Dorman Long Collection, Peter Fryer, Isabela Jedrzejczyk, Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, Ian Macdonald, Harry Morrison, Bruce Rae, Dave Thomas, Vickers-Armstrong Collection and Laurie Wheatley.

About Refractive

Refractive Collective is an independent, artist-led collective of filmmakers and digital artists based in Paisley, Scotland.

It supports and presents artists working with film and digital technology across Renfrewshire and the surrounding area, from young people starting out to established freelancers and internationally recognised practitioners. Refractive creates opportunities for artists to experiment, present work in different contexts and connect with wider audiences.

The collective works to strengthen film and digital arts in the west of Scotland, making visible the range of creative practice being produced there and exploring how contemporary art can contribute to a fairer society.