Artistic epitaph for shut power station in exhibition
TWO local artists who have captured the aftermath of the closure of Fiddler’s Ferry power station are set to be featured in a new exhibition.
Shaun Smyth and Lee Harrison have documented the journey taken by the iconic site which closed in March 2020 after almost 50 years.
Both artists were given exclusive access, exploring the changing environment through drawing, painting, photography and film.
Now their work is to be featured in a new exhibition in St Helens, which will commemorate the significance of the station’s closure, focusing on the decommissioning and demolition and how the landscape is being transformed.
Shaun Smyth hails from Runcorn and teaches at Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy. He has captured the former station through a series of paintings.
He said: “Fiddler’s has been such an iconic architectural structure that embodies the industrial North West of England.
“Having been brought up in Runcorn, I felt the station was part of the natural landscape. The station formed my early memories of my childhood, triggering my imagination, greatly impacting my future as a professional artist.”
The pair had been working with the station’s operators SSE since 2017, creating a visual archive of before and after closure.
Photographer Lee Harrison said: “My aim with this project was to capture the scale and architecture from near and afar and the workers in it. It is essential for us to move to greener energy production but it’s also important to create a visual historical archive for future generations.”
Their work was first showcased in 2022 at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery. Now their second exhibition entitled Fiddler’s Ferry: From The Ashes will be held at The World of Glass in St Helens between April 13 and May 25.
Lee added: “We would like to thank the sponsors of this exhibition for their ongoing invaluable support of the project, ensuring that the work is seen by the public.”