https://johndarwell.com/index.php?r=image/default/category&alias=dark-days - accessed 02.06.20
John Darwell's collection called "Dark Days" references the 2001 outbreak of "foot and mouth " disease which called for the mass culling and cremation under government supervision of thousands of farm animals across the UK and other parts of the world.
Due to the dramatic landscape of Cumbria the majority of farming in the region is livestock. So the area was at the fore front of the epidemic and farmers in the region made massive financial losses.
There is either a great deal of local knowledge or research gone into this set of images. John takes the viewer on a journey. The scenery shots are the introduction for those who are not aware of the Cumbrian landscape. Followed by graphic and hard hitting images of dead animals. The cleaning and destruction required to cleanse the farms of the disease. The human cost to farmers and the pain of mass culling of live stock. The images show the contradiction between the job of the farmer rearing of cattle, sheep etc and finally selling them for meat and then the mass destruction of animals and burning of their carcasses. Finishing with the most powerful image for me which was the anti political banner on the farm fence.
There was a single image which I could not understand the reason for its inclusion. So I emailed John Darwell and he kindly explained.
Image 23 - Indian Ladies
"The Indian ladies going through disinfection was in the week the fells were re-opened to the public and anyone venturing into the hills was required to paddle in the bowl of disinfectant.
Whilst I was watching the events of re-opening a coach arrived and out came a large group of Indian ladies all dressed in their finery, and, for reasons best known to themselves it was decided to go for a walk ..hence going through disinfection. I thought there was something both incongruous and charming about the act.
Apparently the ladies were on a tour of England having come over from India especially and a trip to the Lake District was part of their itinerary.
The shed was the checkpoint crossing onto the hills that you had to go past to gain access.
I did wonder what the ladies thought of their experience and how they described it when back home." - (John Darwell 02.06.20)
I viewed the set on John's website, which included 24 images. There may be more images in the book on the project. For I feel there are a couple of mages if taken could have added to this wonderful set. An image of government inspectors in full protective suits (which may have been impossible to shoot as per health and safety rules )and images of the actual killing of the animals. I understand the action of killing the animal may be too much for some viewers and may even be regarded as politically incorrect, I feel the subject was so provocative that he should have been able to include this kind of barbaric imagery, without repercussions, but only John Darwell knows the answer to that.