December 4th in Poland sees the observance of ‘<a href="https://www.inyourpocket.com/katowice/Barborka_72615f">Barbórka</a>,’ - the feast day of St. Barbara, patron saint of miners. As such, it’s a celebration day for all those in the mining industry, filled with parades and pageantry. For decades, Wałbrzych was a place where hard work was synonymous with mining. In his photography of the region - part of a larger project called ‘People of Black Gold’ which depicts the social and cultural changes in the Lower Silesian Coal Basin - visual artist Paweł Sokołowski captures moments where industrial landscapes serve as the backdrop for portraits of extraordinary people.