Station to Station

Station to Station

In the year of Railway 200, we see the landmark Station to Station photobook launched, with all the photographs taken by students.

Station to Station is a nod to David Bowie’s 1967 song and album of the same name. The project is a unique photographic document of five years of the transformation of the railways in South Wales, as well as of the communities that live and work along these lines. Since 2020, Transport for Wales (TfW) have worked with the University of South Wales’ (USW) Documentary Photography course leaders to support the project and provide student briefs. This year the brief centred on Railway 200 and its themes marking a celebration of railway culture and influences.

Mentored by a team of professional photographers, students have travelled the Rhymney, Treherbert and Merthyr Tydfil lines in search of moments that tell stories of the rich tapestry of contemporary life in the South Wales valleys during a time of transformation.

Transport has played a crucial role in shaping the diverse history of Wales, connecting people and places and both the physical features and communities around them, form cornerstones of our cultural infrastructure. The railways have inspired countless artists, from musicians to writers and photographers, all of whom have explored rail’s continued contribution towards our cultural landscape.

The photobook was also supported by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Caerphilly County Borough Council’s and their Arts Development Team based at Blackwood Miners’ Institute.

If you would like to find out more about the project or get involved in the future, please contact, David Barnes, Senior Lecturer in Photography/Documentary Photography, USW