Spot the Miner

Coal mining is an industry that associated with hard physical labor and harsh mental conditions. Modern artistic projects involving portraits of miners evolve as artists' responses to political economic changes in the industry, which currently decline, place a major focus on miner communities, rather than individual miners. This article presents overview relevant selected projects, supplements them small mini-gallery sketched by author. The viewers have been invited test their perception based series charcoal representing men women dressed workwear everyday clothes. Who this miner, what serves basis for respondents' guesswork, and, overall, how different today’s from those past centuries? Three main factors are outlined potentially identifying miners: workwear, gender, facial expression. readers can compare intuitive reactions results online experiment, was presented Norwegian, Russian, English collected 136 responses. Although presence male gender still carry strong association miners, reveal certain differences across Norway, Russia, United States. interdisciplinary combines aspects art history, social studies psychology project.