Exhibition preview: Dean Chapman: The Archaeology of a Disaster – the Aftermath of Japan's 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami, Side Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, until March 16 2013

In May 2000, award-winning photographer Dean Chapman hitchhiked south along Japan’s Route 45, photographing people and places on the Pacific Coast of Iwate and Miyagi.

Eleven years later, in the aftermath of the tsunami which devastated those communities in March 2011, he took the same route, portraying an area where thousands had drowned, their towns and cities falling apart while a nuclear accident unfolded.

And his final journey was a repeat of the trip, documenting the “slow, methodical clean-up” and recovering infrastructure of the north-east coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu.

His story, split over two levels, features monochrome, before-and-after photos downstairs, complemented by single and multi-print images.

It’s partly an examination of catastrophe and loss, but also an examination of Japanese culture. Maps of Chapman's travels outline the lay of the lands.

• Open 11am-5pm (7pm Thursday, closed Sunday and Monday). Admission free. Visit deanchapmanphotos.com for more on the artist, and follow the gallery on Twitter @SideGallery.

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