Coal is an art exhibition exploring themes of industrial heritage and transformation. All told through the eyes and ears of a father-daughter duo. It brings together the visceral steel landscapes of artist Sam Peacock with an immersive industrial soundscape crafted by his 18-year-old daughter, Storm.
Forged in Fire: Painting with Coal
At the heart of the exhibition lies Radcliffe on Soar, home to Britain’s last coal-fired power station. With its imminent decommissioning, Sam saw an opportunity to reflect on what we’re leaving behind and what we’re moving towards. “I wanted to discuss the transition through painting,” he explains. “Using coal as a primary material to capture the essence of industrial change.”
Interview with Sam & Storm Peacock
Steel Canvas
His canvases, actually sheets of steel, become sites of physical intensity. Burned, smashed and embedded with real coal, each work radiates a heavy finality. “The real trick,” Sam says, “is to make a thin piece of steel look absolutely heavy, look terrifyingly heavy”.
Colour
The colour palette, a blend of raw umber and washed-out greys, evokes the muted landscapes of post-industrial Britain. It’s less about nostalgia and more about tension—the shift from a finite, fossil-fuelled past to an uncertain energy future. “Coal is a finite resource created in a specific period of time,” Sam notes. “There’s an urgency in capturing its legacy.”
Sound and Steel
If Sam’s work confronts us visually, Storm’s challenges us to listen. Drawing from recordings of her father’s workshop and the wider city. Her experimental soundscape layers distortion, mechanical rhythms, and dissonant industrial tones to jolt the senses.
“I want to shock people. I want to get them to really think about what they’re hearing” – Storm Peacock
Sensitivity to Sound
Her hearing impairment has only deepened her sensitivity to sound. “I hear things differently,” Storm shares. “And I’m more interested in sounds because of that.” Influenced by cinematic sound design, particularly the eerie atmospheres of Aliens. Storm has crafted a multi-dimensional experience that pulls visitors into the fabric of her father’s art.
A Family Affair
What makes Coal so distinctive is the collaboration at its core. This isn’t just a themed exhibition! It’s a shared project between two artists at very different stages in their creative journeys. “I’ve always wanted to work with Storm on projects,” Sam says. “It’s important to bring young people into the artistic process and encourage experimentation.”
For Storm, it’s been both a challenge and a thrill. “I definitely want to do this more often,” she says. “And just create something we can mess around with.”
Coal as Community
Beyond materials and mediums, Coal is rooted in people. The communities that once thrived around the coal industry, particularly in Nottinghamshire, are central to the narrative. “There were whole communities built around the coal industry,” Sam reflects. “We’re changing how we gather energy in Britain, and we need to remember what that means for the people involved.”
By merging the tangible weight of steel and coal with the intangible pulse of sound, Coal becomes more than an exhibition. It’s a meditation on legacy, transition, and the enduring power of creativity across generations.
Coal is showing at George Thornton Art, 12A Flying Horse Walk, Nottingham NG1 2HN, from 20 September 2025 for two weeks. Sam and Storm Peacock were interviewed at the Novotel Canary Wharf on Sunday 6 July 2025.
For more Inspiring City articles you will like, take a look at…
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- Nomad Clan and Tankpetrol paint True North Mural in Leeds
- Sam Peacock prepares for Fractured at the Curious Duke Gallery
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