Billy and Rolonde
Billy and Rolonde is a new personal project which is loosely about social exclusion.
I have photographed regeneration in deprived areas for many years now and, although great strides have been made in improving the quality of life for many people, there is still a proportion on the fringes who are unaffected by positive change.
As a photographer – a storyteller, if you like – I have been aware that my regeneration work tells only one part of the story. So, since the beginning of 2008, I have been following the experiences of four people.
Allan is a 47 year-old homeless alcoholic. Billy was a heroin addict when I first met him. Barbara is a 70 year-old failed asylum seeker from Zimbabwe, and Spencer, 21, has just met his mother for the first time in 10 years.
Although in previous projects I have accompanied my pictures with the words of my subjects, this is the first time I have written directly about my documentary experiences. The forthcoming book, entitled Billy and Rolonde, will offer some insight into how a photographer goes about their work and the journey that both my subjects and I have made over the last two years.