Nissan reception

From the Land of the Rising Sun

The last few weeks have been hectic as photographer James Sebright and I prepare for our Nissan: 30 Years On exhibition (For more on the project CLICK HERE).

Earlier this year, we spent time in the vast Nissan Sunderland Plant observing the constant stream of cars and expressing this through words and photography.  (To read that blog post CLICK HERE).  We had another session talking to some of the Nissan workers about their aspirations and what a difference working at Nissan has made to their lives.  These portraits, in words and pictures, will be available to view in our forthcoming exhibition.

Rachel Cochrane interviews Irene Wilkinson.  Photo by James Sebright

Rachel Cochrane interviews Irene Wilkinson who taught English to children of Japanese Nissan workers. Photo by James Sebright

We have also been interviewing those who have been associated with Nissan over the past 30 years: Ged Parker, a member of the Development Corporation responsible for attracting Nissan to the North East , Jim Bell, a former Nissan worker whose previous generations of family were miners and Irene Wilkinson who taught English language and customs to the children and wives of Japanese employees of Nissan who came to work here.  Each have fascinating stories and show a different facet of the impact of  30 Years of Nissan in the North East.

Nissan: 30 Years On.  Please visit our exhibition at The Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill Road, Durham, County Durham DH1 3TH which runs from June 11th to October 18th 2015.