Away with the Fairies (2022) explores the theory of ‘failed’ masculinity as a consequence of deindustrialisation. The ongoing series of work includes self-portraits of the artist dancing with her coal mining fairies, at the old Orgreave Colliery site in South Yorkshire. Inspired by tales of industrial action under Margaret Thatcher, Barton’s small-scale sculptures redefine that period in history through alternative aesthetics and repurposed imagery. The work explores the performance of class through the dancing picket lines of Orgreave, while in turn subverting gender norms through colour and addressing more sinister themes of collective trauma and loss in post-industrialised communities.