Chris Killip - Vague à l'âme - 1989-1989

"Vague à l'âme" is a photographic work by Chris Killip, published in 1989, which won the Henri Cartier-Bresson International Prize in the same year. The French title literally means "melancholy" or "state of mind," and it aptly reflects the atmosphere of the images.

Context and content
Chris Killip is a British photographer known for his black-and-white images documenting the working-class life and the industrial communities of the Northeast of England in the 1970s and 1980s.
In “Vague à l’âme,” he captures the harsh economic and social reality of that era, marked by deindustrialization, unemployment, and the profound transformations of the urban and human landscape.

Photographic style
Black and white: emphasize contrast and emotional impact.
Documentary approach: immersion in the daily life of the inhabitants.
Themes: work, poverty, dignity, resilience.
Importance
This work is regarded as a major visual testament to the end of an industrial era in the United Kingdom. It helped establish Chris Killip as one of the most important documentary photographers of his generation.