Matt James Smith
@mattjamessmith.bsky.social
Artist & filmmaker working within the deindustrialized landscapes & communities of North East England.
https://mattjamessmith.com/links
https://mattjamessmith.com/links
Pinned
My current project Ghost Train is a collaborative film about the landscape and communities of the West Durham Coalfield. It follows a route along the network of disused industrial rail lines that ran throughout the region mattjamessmith.com/ghost-train
A gentle plea for a small change to the way we describe the place we call home. I've written about why "deindustrialised" is more honest than "post-industrial" - and why, as AI data centres arrive in the North East, we're not "post" anything at all.
mattjamessmith.com/blog/post-in...
mattjamessmith.com/blog/post-in...
Post-industrial or deindustrialised? — Matt James Smith
The words we use matter … don’t they? This is either a chip on my shoulder or a gallant crusade (you decide) but I’ve now heard too many good people doing good work using a bad word.
mattjamessmith.com
January 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM
A gentle plea for a small change to the way we describe the place we call home. I've written about why "deindustrialised" is more honest than "post-industrial" - and why, as AI data centres arrive in the North East, we're not "post" anything at all.
mattjamessmith.com/blog/post-in...
mattjamessmith.com/blog/post-in...
Looking back at 2025, and forward to 2026.
A year of progress on Ghost Train, client work I actually believe in (Point North, No More Nowt, Durham Miners’ Gala), the Durham Creative Community Fellowship, and the start of something new…
Full post on Substack
open.substack.com/pub/mattjame...
A year of progress on Ghost Train, client work I actually believe in (Point North, No More Nowt, Durham Miners’ Gala), the Durham Creative Community Fellowship, and the start of something new…
Full post on Substack
open.substack.com/pub/mattjame...
Looking back at 2025 and forward to 2026
Films, commissions, and a 40-year-old mural
open.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Looking back at 2025, and forward to 2026.
A year of progress on Ghost Train, client work I actually believe in (Point North, No More Nowt, Durham Miners’ Gala), the Durham Creative Community Fellowship, and the start of something new…
Full post on Substack
open.substack.com/pub/mattjame...
A year of progress on Ghost Train, client work I actually believe in (Point North, No More Nowt, Durham Miners’ Gala), the Durham Creative Community Fellowship, and the start of something new…
Full post on Substack
open.substack.com/pub/mattjame...
A few stills from our musical adventure yesterday, going around 'The Pitman Poet' Tommy Armstrong's old haunts and singing his songs - with the fabulous Bethany Elen Coyle and Jude Murphy.
November 30, 2024 at 7:22 PM
A few stills from our musical adventure yesterday, going around 'The Pitman Poet' Tommy Armstrong's old haunts and singing his songs - with the fabulous Bethany Elen Coyle and Jude Murphy.
A murder in the snow and a parade of giants. Above Esh Winning, Dec 2010.
November 24, 2024 at 11:14 AM
A murder in the snow and a parade of giants. Above Esh Winning, Dec 2010.
The Shows at Esh Winning, Oct 2024
November 20, 2024 at 8:02 AM
The Shows at Esh Winning, Oct 2024
My current project Ghost Train is a collaborative film about the landscape and communities of the West Durham Coalfield. It follows a route along the network of disused industrial rail lines that ran throughout the region mattjamessmith.com/ghost-train
November 19, 2024 at 4:40 PM
My current project Ghost Train is a collaborative film about the landscape and communities of the West Durham Coalfield. It follows a route along the network of disused industrial rail lines that ran throughout the region mattjamessmith.com/ghost-train