Ron McCormick in conversation with Paul Reas
Cardiff, June 2019Ron McCormick yn sgwrsio gydag Paul Reas
Caerdydd, Mehefin 2019
Mount Tom Price minesite, Western Australia, 1983
© Ron McCormick, pan54-735-736
Ron McCormick trained as an artist at Liverpool School of Art and the Royal Academy Schools in London before moving across to photography. He played a significant role in the formation and development of photography galleries across the UK in the 1970’s - including Half Moon Gallery in London, Side Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne and the original Ffotogallery in Cardiff.
Ron taught on the Newport Documentary Photography course alongside David Hurn and established ‘The Newport Survey’ publication that students worked on as part of their studies - produced over a decade in the 1980’s . He was one of the first photographers to be commissioned by Ffotogallery to produce work for the highly regarded ‘Valleys Project’ in the 1980’s and his documentary work of the changing landscape and communities in the south Wales valleys as coal mining disappeared in the region is considered to be some of the best produced.
His work is held in the Arts Council Collection and in private collections. He has lived and worked in Newport since 1977 and continues to be an active member of the Newport art and photography scene.
A major exhibition of his south Wales work 'How Green was my Valley' will open at Newport Museum & Art Gallery on 21 September and run through to 14 March 2020.
Recorded at the University of South Wales Atrium campus in Cardiff by Brian Carroll. Our thanks to Paul Reas for organising.
Part 1 - listen to part 2 and 3
Ron McCormick - Part 1
Ffoton
See below for a small selection of Ron's work, reproduced here on Ffoton with kind permission of the photographer.
Yma ar Ffoton trwy garedigrwydd y ffotograffydd fe welwch gasgliad bychan o'i waith isod.
©Ron McCormick, 18-6119
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Tredegar girls day out - Porthcawl, South Wales, 2018
© Ron McCormick, 18-5740
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Porthcawl, South Wales, 2018
©Ron McCormick, 18-5427
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Porthcawl, South Wales, 2018
© Ron McCormick, 14-4731 (from a documentation of the public demonstrations surrounding the NATO conference held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in 2014
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NATO Parade, Cardiff, 2014
© Ron McCormick, 54-772-2 (from the series AUSTRALIA'S WEST)
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Iron Ore reclaimers - Port Headland- Western Australia, 1983
Masonic Hall, Cue township, Western Australia 1983
© Ron McCormick, 54-667-2 (from the series AUSTRALIA'S WEST)
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Masonic Hall, Cue township, Western Australia 1983
Chepstow pensioner, 1980
© Ron McCormick, 54-233-1 (from the series LOWER CHEPSTOW RESIDENTS)
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Chepstow pensioner, 1980
Cycle gang, Newport, South Wales, 1980,
© Ron McCormick, 54-239-1
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Newport, South Wales, Child Cycle Gang pose at Cambrian Way car park, 1980
© Ron McCormick, 54-870-2 (from the SOUTH WALES VALLEYS series)
Early on the morning of Friday, 21 October 1966, after several days of heavy rain, a subsidence occurred on a colliery waste and more than 150,000 cubic metres of water-saturated debris broke away and flowed downhill at high speed. It smashed into the village of Aberfan and the northern side of the Pantglas Junior School. In total, 116 children and 28 adults were killed
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Lewis Merthyr colliery, Trehafod, South Wales, 1984
Rhiw Parc Road, Abertillery, South Wales, 1977
© Ron McCormick 54-91-1 (from the ARCHAEOLOGIES series)
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Rhiw Parc Road, Abertillery, South Wales, 1977
Newcastle Arms, Akenside Hill and the Tyne Bridge, Tyneside, 1979
© Ron McCormick, 54-179-1 (from the ARCHAEOLOGIES series)
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Newcastle Arms, Akenside Hill and the Tyne Bridge, Tyneside, 1979
Wallsend, Tyneside, 1979,
© Ron McCormick, 54-163-2 (from THE WASTELAND series)
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Wallsend, Tyneside, 1979
Street musician, Spitalfields, London, 1972
© Ron McCormick, 210-1 (from the series SPITALFIELDS TO WHITECHAPEL)
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Street musician, Spitalfields, London, 1972
Clockseller, Cheshire street, Spitalfields, London, 1971, ©Ron McCormick, 103-26 (from the series SPITALFIELDS TO WHITECHAPEL)
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Clockseller, Cheshire street, Spitalfields, London, 1971
Maurice, gents hairdresser, Buxton street, Spitalfields, London, 1971 © Ron McCormick, 104-15 (from the series SPITALFIELDS TO WHITECHAPEL)
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Maurice, Gents hairdresser, Buxton street, Spitalfields, London, 1971
Mr & Mrs Ali, Brick lane, Spitalfields, London, 1973 ©Ron McCormick, 554-13 (from the series SPITALFIELDS TO WHITECHAPEL)
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Mr & Mrs Ali, Brick lane, Spitalfields, London, 1973
‘How Green was my Valley’ exhibition in Newport Museum & Art Gallery runs 21 September 2019 - 14 March 2020.
Keep an eye open for Ron’s new website, currently in development, at www.ronmccormick.com
A selection of Ron’s books are available via BigCartel communimedia.bigcartel.com
Gallery images © Ron McCormick and used with permission of the photographer.
Banner images © Brian Carroll
Further reading from this episode…
Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes : Wikipedia link
Half Moon Gallery and Camerawork : Four Corners Archive link
Camerawork magazine : BJP article
Side Gallery : Amber link
Please note: Comments or views made by interview participants are their own and are NOT necessarily the views of the Ffoton Wales team.
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