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Photo Stories

Life in the Time of Corona

As the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications began to hit home, I observed my own responses in quiet solitude; from intense activity to overwhelming fatigue. From information overload to a desire to withdraw. And from calm rationality to anxiety and fear. 

Displaced Connections

Conditions were bleak on this stretch of wasteland behind Belgrade's railway station, where around 1,000 young men from Afghanistan and Pakistan were living rough in derelict warehouses.

Sounds Unseen

There have been refugee camps in the Calais area of Northern France for about 20 years, but none as large or as visible as the informal settlement known as the 'Jungle'.

Placing Home

Eglinton Hotel in Galway, on the West Coast of Ireland, was once a popular seaside resort hotel, with an enviable view across the bay towards the Clare Hills and the Aran Islands. Since 2000 it has been a Direct Provision centre, housing people from many different countries seeking asylum.

Something has Already Happened

Life is played out on the streets of Kolkata. It spills over abundantly, squeezing into every crevice, straining boundaries, fraying at the edges where it is most vulnerable.

Traces, with Marisa Garreffa (work-in-progress)

Born out of Marisa Garreffa's "Rituals of Healing" series, in which she explores through live ritual her own history as a survivor of violence, Marisa and I reflected on traces and residues of trauma, creating images that spoke directly to memory: fragments, elements, emotions and echoes.

Hidden Stories

Narrative fragments, emotions, powerful memories ... starting points for a series of collaborative portraits exploring invisible disabilities, commissioned by Root Experience.

The Fragile Oasis

The small oasis town of M’Hamid El Ghizlane, close to the Morocco-Algeria border, was once the meeting place for traditional trans-Saharan caravans. Unpredictable weather patterns and desertification have a devastating impact on the communities that live here. As the Sahara expands north, it consumes valuable arable land and encroaches on villages.

Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra

A former airline pilot and self-taught musician, Conductor Armand Diangienda followed his dream to create a symphony orchestra within his local community in Kinshasa, Democratic Rupublic of Congo.

Theyyam – Living Deities

The Theyyam artists are in a trance when they begin their ritual performances. The Oracle, or 'Revealer of Light' leads a hypnotic dance around the fire, accompanied by pulsating drums. As the Theyyams circle the temple compound, surveying the audience, the flames burn with increased vigour. The atmosphere is edgy and intense.

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Competing Against the Odds

Bamako’s empty Olympic-size swimming pool was eerily quiet and uncomfortably hot. Faded lane dividers lay in a heap gathering dust, and the harsh afternoon sun created deep, playful shadows.