Miners

Reimagining the act of mining as a profession and trying to create a visual reality of understanding the origins and the means of obtaining what we use readily, such as electricity (for which coal is a raw material), salt and precious stones.
Embroidery and colour are my way of satarizing these unacceptable behaviours which we consider the norm after minimal damage control ​​​​​​​

An image of a diamond miner being x-rayed by a trained radiologist after a days work at a De Beer’s diamond mine in Kimberly, SA in 1954. Diamond miners are x-rated using extremely harmful fluoroscope technology which uses high energy radiation which increases the risks of cancer related deaths. Miners often would attempt to steal a diamond through placing even small pieces in their anus, mouth, scrotum or something even open wounds which were often self inflicted. A trained radiologist like the one in the image can identify even the smallest of diamonds even if ingested. In the 90’s De Beers invested in developing a low radiation x-ray technology, despite that this daily exposure is extremely harmful for miners.