Joanne Coates Audio Description Script

Middle of Somewhere is an exhibition of photography work, an installation and a film. Working class visual artist Joanne Coates tells stories of rurality, hidden histories and inequalities relating to low income. Coates is the recipient of the 2024 iteration of The Vasseur Baltic Artist Award.

Working in the medium of photography, Coates lives and works across the Northeast of England. Her work explores rurality, hidden histories and inequalities relating to low income through photography, installations, and audio. Coates uses photography to question the concepts of power, identity, wealth, and poverty, by exploring the social histories of land, gender, and class to narrate stories that have long been forgotten – or simply never told. 

This exhibition and research builds on themes around class, gender, inequality and the rural explored previously in her previous exhibitions, ‘Daughters of the Soil’ and ‘The Lie of the Land.’ Again, Coates collaborates with participants to explore parallels between people and places, the exhibition will delve into questions around climate change, cost of living crisis, disparities of wealth and the impact on low-income communities. 

Outside the Gallery

The entrance to the gallery is a doorless doorway set on the left of the wall outside the gallery. The wall is painted a cool pale pink. On the wall to the right of the entrance, there’s 19 lines of dark green text in a bubble-like font. The first four lines are: The Vasser Baltic Artist Award; Joanne Coates; Middle of Somewhere, 11 May -17 November. The remaining lines state acknowledgements and thanks and provide information on the Vasser Baltic Artist Award.

On the right side of the wall, there’s a TV screen attached to the wall. On this a colour video plays of the artist talking about the exhibition. The video intersperses film of Coates with country scenes as Coates talks. To the R of the TV screen is QR code to access the Baltic’s website for more information on Joanne Coates and the exhibition. 

On entering the Gallery

Moving through the door space you enter a high ceilinged, large, slightly oblong space. For the purposes of clarity, the wall adjoining the entrance door will be viewed as the front wall, the wall opposite it as the rear wall, and the walls either side as L and R side walls. The side walls are marginally longer than the front and back walls. 

The gallery space is 8.7m wide; 12.56m long; and 74.4m high. Its’ smooth walls are painted in the same pale pink as the exterior wall, but under the gallery lights the pink takes on a warm glow. The floor is covered in light brown wood planks running vertically front to back wall; and the ceiling is divided into 12 fawn-coloured panels of equal size – 3 across and 4 down.

The gallery space is brightly lit. Small white spotlights in grey casings unevenly emerge between the ceiling panels. These are angled on all the walls and a freestanding structure. 

On the front wall (as you face it), immediately to the left of the entrance, there’s dark green text on the wall that provides information on the exhibition.

Positioning of the artworks as seen from the Gallery entrance

Colour photographs line the walls. All but two are framed by mid brown wood frames hung portrait or landscape. The unframed photographs are landscape. 

Set singly or in groups, the framed photographs run along each wall, set within the bottom third. The photographs are of varying sizes with differing heights, formations and distances apart. The two unframed photographs rest on an invisible line 1/3rd of the way up the wall. These project upwards and sit on the walls rear right and left.

2m in from the rear right corner, an oblong structure recognisable as a shed is angled to face the gallery entrance front left. This structure, 2.3m across, 1.8m high and 1m deep, is made out of wood with a corrugated tin roof. Through a doorless central open space facing the entrance, we glimpse a wood bench backed by a wallpapered rear wall pinned with items. 

A film plays within the structure, the sound drifts out into the main space.

Photography                                                                                     

There are 30 framed photographs and two unframed photographs. The frame sizes are: 13 x 11 inches (referred to as small) and 20 x 25 inches (referred to as large). The unframed photographs are 2x as high as the large frames and 2.5x as long.  

The front wall is spanned by 5 framed photographs; the right wall is spanned by 12 framed photographs; the rear wall is spanned by 1 unframed and 5 framed photographs; the left wall is spanned by 8 framed photographs and 1 unframed photograph. 

The photographs are varied, taken in daylight, with a range of countryside and village images, some contain people or man-made structures. 

As you face the front wall moving Right to Left

5 landscape frames are spaced out across the wall. Moving 12” to the left of the writing, there are 2 large framed photographs, the upper edge of the frame nearest the writing is in line with the first line of writing. 6” to the left of this frame, the upper edge of the next framed photograph is slightly lower and in line with the 6th line of writing. Both photographs show a woman with her back to us gazing into the distance. In the picture on the left she looks over sea, in the picture on the right she looks over countryside. 

Moving to the opposite side of the front wall, there are 3 framed photos, 2 large, 1 small. 

6” in from the left corner, 2 framed photographs sit one above the other, the height of a large frame apart. The upper large frame has its’ top edge in line with the top line of writing by the entrance. It shows an overgrown graveyard. The lower small frame has its’ lower edge in line with the bottom line of writing by the entrance. It shows a large 2 storey village pub with white washed walls.

Set between these photographs 12” to their right, is a large landscape framed photo. This shows an arched, white painted stone set on grassy ground with a country road passing behind. Written on the sign in black capitals is the word ‘TA RA’ in black.    

The 3 photographs on the left and 2 photographs on the right are 2 large frames width apart. 

As you face the right wall moving Right to Left (and front floor to rear floor)

12 evenly spaced out framed photographs – large and small - snake back to 4 lines of black writing. 

Pictures 1 to 3 are large and set landscape. The upper edge of picture 1 lies halfway between the upper and lower edges of top frame on the previous (front) wall. Pictures 2 and 3 descend in level, their top frame edges being a half frame below the previous frame. 

Picture 1 shows a road through a village, Picture 2 shows a lush countryside scene, and Picture 3 shows a white goal post and part of a football field. 

Pictures 4 and 8 are large and set landscape, their lower edge in line with picture 1’s top edge. Picture 4 is a looking onto a village, with countryside rear and foreground. Picture 8 is a contemplative man, seated with arms resting on a table inside a house, indistinct country seen through a window to his right. 

Set between them, pictures 5, 6 and 7 are small, placed closer together and at a lower level - their top frame edge being in line with pictures 2’s top frame edge. They show natural landscapes, some bare and some grassy overlooking sea.

Picture 9 is large and set portrait. Its’ lower edge in line with the lower edge of pictures 5, 6 and 7. It shows a woman in sunglasses standing in front of a ruined castle

Picture 10 also large sits on the same mid line as picture 9, but being set landscape, it’s narrower by a couple of inches on its’ upper and lower edges - and slightly wider. It shows a grass and rock cliff edge with sea beyond. 

Picture 11 is small and set landscape. Its’ lower edge is in line with the upper edge of picture 10. It shows a distant village surrounded by mist and countryside. In the foreground a white metal pole is topped by a white, oblong, narrow sign with a pointed end. 

Picture 12 is large and set landscape. Its’ upper edge is approximately the height of 1 large frame below the lower edge of picture 11. It shows a curving road sided by trees.

A few inches in from the left (rear) corner, there’s 4 descending lines of black writing, the first line sitting on the imaginary line 1/3rd of the way up the wall. The first line reads, ‘I’ve left mine own old home of homes’. The second line reads ‘Green fields and every pleasant place’. The third line reads ‘The summer like a stranger comes’. The fourth line reads ‘I pause and hardly know her face’. 

As you face the rear wall – moving Right to Left

6 photographs span the wall - 1 unframed and 5 framed (large and small), roughly in 4 sections with equal distances between. 

Pictures 1 and 2. Picture 1, unframed, sits on an imaginary line 1/3rd of the way up the wall – its’ bottom edge in line with the 1st line of writing on the wall to its’ right. It shows open countryside with sea and coastline jutting into it from the right. In the foreground a metal pole topped by a black sign with the word ‘OUT’ printed in white capitals. Picture 2 is small, set landscape and sits in the middle of the bottom third of the wall, with the left half of the photograph underneath Picture 1 (with a large space between). Picture 2 show a close up of a grey stone wall. 

Picture 3 is large and set portrait with its’ lower edge in line with the upper edge of Picture 2. It shows a woman sitting side-on on rocks gazing off to the left, with moors and a distant hill to the rear. 

Picture 4 is small and set landscape. Its’ lower edge is a few inches below picture 3’s upper edge. Its’ upper edge extends upwards beyond it. It shows a stream winding through countryside with a hill in distance.

Pictures 5 and 6 are both small. Picture 5 is set portrait with its’ upper edge in line with Picture 4’s lower edge. It shows a hand holding a feather. Picture 6 is set landscape and placed a few inches below and to the left of Picture 5. It shows a road winding through countryside. 

As you face the left wall moving Right to Left (and rear floor to front floor) (rear) 

8 framed photographs and 1 unframed photograph punctuate the wall broadly spaced out in 4 groups at equal distance apart. Pictures 1 to 8 are framed. 

Picture 1 is large and set portrait. It shows a woman standing in front of a 4 storied modern building (housing). It’s upper and lower edges are roughly in line with the upper edge of picture 5 and lower edge of picture 6 on the previous (rear) wall. 

Pictures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are large, portrait and set in a group, 2 above 2. They project an equal distance above and below Picture 1. They show distance views of the natural environment, one with distant cottages, another with electricity pylons, another a gorge of exposed rock, and another fronted by a stone wall on which a scarecrow sits, its’ head and body formed by 2 white pillows with blue jeans and brown boots. 

Pictures 6 and 7 are both set landscape. Picture 6 is large with its’ upper edge in line with the upper edge of Picture 1. Picture 7 is small and set a few inches below and to the left of Picture 6. Both show village scenes.

Pictures 8 and 9. Picture 8 is large and set landscape. Its shows a woman standing on a road, fields either side. The top R corner of this photograph lies a few inches over the bottom corner of picture 9 which is the unframed photograph, set landscape with its bottom edge lying on imaginary line 1/3rd of the way up the wall. Picture 9 shows a grassy coastline to the front, sea centre and distant hills to the rear.

Installation 

The shed dimensions are 1.8m high x 2.3m long by 1m deep. Its’ back, sides and front are built with diagonal wood planks which are stained red mahogany. Rough edged, a few planks are warped leaving slight spaces between. 

Angled across the space 2m in from the rear R corner, the shed’s back is towards the rear R corner and the shed’s front faces the gallery entrance. Either shed side is built up to an inverted V to support a slanted, corrugated tin roof, front and back.  Each roof side consists of 4 vertical sheets of varying dark and lighter greys, these aged and scattered with patches or vertical stretches of red brown rust. An upward pointed ‘rib’ of dark grey tin runs along the top of the roof covering the upper meeting point of the roof sides. 

The shed sides sit directly on the gallery floor.

A 6 glass paned window is set into the upper third of the shed’s left side, 3 panes across and 2 up. The 6” square panes are surrounded and separated by a weathered wood frame with peeling forest green paint. The upper diagonal edge of the window frame is in line with the roof ends either side. A pink sticker on the bottom R corner pane says ‘Escape to the Country’ in black writing. 

Dividing the front of the shed into 3 vertical sections of equal width, the 2 outer sections are diagonally planked with an open space between. This open space is the entrance. A ‘portrait hung’ window hugs the upper edge of the posts each side of the open door space. Each window fills 2/3rd of the space across the outer sections and 1/3 of the space down. The upper edge of each window runs behind (and in line with) the end of the roof. 

Moving inside: 

The area within is brightly lit.

The top 2/3rds of the shed walls on the right and rear side are covered by pink wallpaper, the same colour pink as the gallery walls. The wall paper continues from the back of the left wall but only as far the start or the window panes. The wallpaper design was specially commissioned for the installation. The wallpaper is covered in black printed drawings of women who work in rural and the countryside. The individual images are repeated in 3 diagonal bands of 4 images which overlap creating an interwoven and unified pattern. The images (in no particular order) are: an upright tall narrow stone on a grassy base; an overalled woman with milking teats hovering one side of the head; a for sale sign on a post;  a barn with a for sale sign on a post outside; a hill with 3 clouds above; a 2 storey boarded up house with a deep crack in the walls between the upper windows; a woman carrying a tub of cleaning products; a bar lady leaning her head on her hand, her elbow on a bar top, with a dripping beer pump beside her and 3 bottles hovering behind her; a white sheep and black lamb; a black sheep dog lying on the ground head up, tongue hanging out; a white sheep.

The bottom third of the walls and all unwallpapered sections display the unstained reverse of the outside planks. 

The underside of the corrugated tin roof is aging, the scattered stretches of dark grey spattered with silver dots and the silver grey stretches with dark grey spots. 

The wood fame of the 6 paned window on the L wall was painted white but is now greying and peeling. 

On the right side of the shed as you enter there’s a natural, unstained, light brown wood bench. 4 x 2” wide ‘planks’ of wood run from front shed wall to rear wall. Two thin planks project upwards either bench end by the R wall reaching wallpaper level. A thin plank spans the upright posts a few inches down creating a backrest. Through the narrow spaces between the seat planks we glimpse 3 angled (seat supporting) planks beneath, from outer seat edge to right shed floor. 

The wallpapered rear wall is studded with pinned on items. These being: a dark brown wood photo frame hung landscape, containing a dark grey surround which holds a black and white photo of a football goal post, part of the field with stone cottages beyond; a traditional horse brass with 3 descending gold images on a dark brown leather strap. The top image is an acorn and leaves, the middle image is a man and horse ploughing, the bottom image is a wheatsheaf with a hoe and scythe crossed in front; a red 1st prize rosette with 2 hanging ribbons; 5 postcards (some stamped) with handwritten messages, the image side of the postcards face the wall; a dark brown wood frame hung portrait, enclosing a sheet of white paper covered in 2 columns of black typewriting, entitled ‘Article on Deprivation, Poverty and Marginalization’.

A dark brown wood oblong box is angled across the rear left corner of the shed. An ‘old style’ oblong box shaped TV sits on it. The TV’s silver casing encloses a 12” screen which plays both black and white, and colour film, with accompanying sound. The top of the TV ends just above the start of the wallpaper, the box supporting it reaches three-quarters of the way up the planked interior.  

The supportive box extends for a couple of inches beyond the TV on all sides. Around the TV’s base lie some pin badges of varying sizes. 8 around the left corner, 5 around the R corner. Brightly coloured, they display images and/or words relating to countryside, national parks and places in Scotland and Yorkshire 

Two loose pink stickers with their backing still attached lie on top of the TV, in black capitals, one says ‘The Rural Vote,’ the other says ‘Pastoral Visions.’ A few of these stickers are stuck on both TV sides. A colour postcard also lies on top of the TV. Images of four photographs found on the surrounding gallery walls quarter it. In the postcard’s centre in black capitals, the words ‘Middle of Somewhere.’

A light brown, aged, milking stool stands on the floor by the front left corner. A hardback book lies on top, its’ dark fly leaf a black and white image studded centre with a red square containing the words ‘Rural Poverty Today’ in white capitals. 

Film 

The TV replays black and white or colour images and video relevant to the spoken words, these including people and the countryside. The spoken words are relayed into the gallery. 

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