Newcastle based documentary photography Sasha Mallo Tardiveau has released a digital photo exhibition online which gives a vivid exploration of the Tyne and Wear Metro system during the final two years that the original train fleet was running.
This isn’t a simple collection of photos just showing the trains but also the people who were travelling on the network. Sasha spent many hours travelling on the network, meeting people and taking their pictures.
Sasha said: “I just wanted to show moments of real life through the lens of my camera. It’s been two years of work. I hope I’ve captured some candid moments, recording normal life on the Metro system.
“The people are at the heart of this project, along with our iconic and wonderful Metro system. I wanted to document the last two years as the old train fleet was being phased out.
“My photos show life during the end of an era for our region and for the Tyne and Wear Metro. Metro has been a part of my life almost daily, and these last two years of work have been like capturing a chapter in our region’s history.
“I’ve loved shooting this project. I can’t thank all the people enough for appearing in my pictures. They are just ordinary moments, but when you frame them in a photograph they can become iconic, and when people see that photo they want to know the story.
“I’ve drawn big inspiration from the works of noted photographers who have done great work over the years shooting transport systems. I wanted to emulate that style and bring it to our own Metro system here in the North East.”
The pictures come to an end as she shows one of the Metrocars heading to the scrapyard in County Durham.
Lynne Dickinson, Station Delivery Manager at Nexus, said: “Sasha’s photographs are iconic. She’s framed normal life on our Metro system, where people rely on the services that we deliver to travel around. We commend her for the project, which is the culmination of two years of dedicated work.
“Projects like this underline just how important Metro is and how it’s become a vital part of the communities it has served for the last 46 years. The exhibit has helped to capture the end of an era for Metro, focusing on the last two years that our original trains were in service.
“But the real stars of this project are the customers. We are always keen to see engagement with projects that feature the Tyne and Wear Metro, the people who use it, and the people who work on it. Photography is a great medium to showcase the system. We are always keen to see engage with projects like this through our Art on Transport Programme.”
- Terminus can be viewed online at http://www.sidegallery.co.uk/blog/terminus or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mallo.tardivography/