In June of 1984, a group of British miners in Orgreave, England clashed with riot police in a violent protest that resulted in an extreme example of state violence. In 2001, the artist Jeremy Deller was commissioned to facilitate a reenactment of the ‘battle’ that took place, the bitter effects of which continued to polarize members of the community who felt generational loyalty to their respective sides of the original confrontation. The artist initiated the experience without overly orchestrating the outcome, which encouraged an organic experiment of collective memory. By giving the power back to the people that felt silenced by the state, and forcing neighbors to confront each other with raw emotion, the reenactment generated a relational environment that encouraged the community to face the permeating tensions and let them come to a resolution for themselves. This also allowed each side to empathize with the other, as they had the privilege of existing both within and outside of the original conflict and come to an understanding of both sides.