Falmouth 36

Catherine Durham

admin — Sun, 27 May 2012 21:44:39 +0000

A Blessing in Disguise
Northern Ireland, 27 August 1979. The 2 para regiment were transferring from their station in Ballykilner to Newry. A lorry packed with an 800-pound fertilizer bomb was sat in the lay by that Paul’s convoy passed. Cpl. Paul Burns 2nd Para Regiment was only 18 years of age when he was wounded whilst serving in Northern Ireland in 1979. Paul’s left leg was amputated below the knee and whilst his right leg was severely damaged they were able to save it.

Paul spent 11 months in hospital recovering from his injuries. He refused to talk about the events that happened this day for years after. Paul didn’t let loosing his leg ruin his life, he rejoined the paratroopers and began training to join the prestigious Red Devils.

Paul was accepted on to the team as it’s first disabled member, a great honour as there are only 25 people on a team at any given time.

23 years later Paul has achieved things that would daunt many able bodied people. In the January of this year Paul made the brave decision to get his right leg amputated. The foot had always caused him pain, and now it was time for him to get rid of it. He is now currently helping to coach the BLESMA Trans4mers.

UK’s first disabled formation sky diving team. The Trans4mers team is the UK’s first disabled formation sky diving team, made up from soldiers wounded in action or whilst serving in the army.

Emily Cole

admin — Sat, 26 May 2012 19:56:00 +0000

Its Company
Growing up, gran was just gran. She was the caring, generous, fun and exciting person my brother and I would spend holidays with. She is an elegant, creative and interesting woman. Born in 1925 in Rotherham, Yorkshire, gran moved to Edinburgh 60 years ago.

Two years ago, gran was telling us of how she was misplacing things, forgetting appointments and people’s names. We never thought much more about it. Last year gran was diagnosed with dementia. The word diagnosis sounds ‘deathly’ almost. But dementia isn’t like that. There are however many different forms, but thankfully at present, gran’s dementia is not severe.

Once a very organised person, who wrote regularly to friends and family and took part in many classes and clubs, gran now finds life very frustrating. She forgets what she has done that day. She forgets birthdays. She forgets friend’s names.

When first diagnosed gran became very depressed. She saw no way out. She lost the interest to paint. Her depression made her lazy. It was ‘hellish’ for her. Over the year, her stance on her condition has changed. Her up beat, ‘glass half full’ character appears to be returning. In her words, “there is no point crying about it. You’ve just got to laugh…we are old now, we are allowed”.

The government is attempting to tackle the increase in dementia related illness. There are facilities and services out there to help, but there does need to be more. With 800,000 people in the UK suffering from Dementia, stories like gran’s need to be told.

Jak Bennett

admin — Sat, 26 May 2012 19:52:55 +0000

Weymouth 2012
In July 2012, the Olympic Sailing Events will take place in Weymouth, Dorset. This traditional ‘bucket and spade’ resort , together with its close neighbour of Portland, were officially announced as hosts of the events almost seven years ago on Wednesday 6th of July, 2005. The news spread quickly and there was much talk about the benefits that the Games would bring to the local community. The benefits envisaged included enhanced reputation for the area, a massive boost to the local economy, additional opportunities for businesses, plus increased tourism and investment opportunities in the future. It was predicted that these events would put the small town of Weymouth and the Isle of Portland on ‘the world map’. It is certainly true that the changes necessitated by the arrival of this large scale event have permanently altered the landscape of Weymouth. New transport infrastructure and restoration of the seafront have brought Weymouth into the 21st century, yet this has not been achieved without cost and disturbance to a large number of individuals in the process. As with all large scale events, there are winners and losers. This project highlights the effects on the local community and the immediate environment in order to accommodate the Sailing Events. It also tells the stories, not only of those who stand to gain from the arrival of the Games, but also of those who feel that they are suffering from the repercussions of Olympic events being staged in such a small community.

Josh Matthewman

admin — Sat, 26 May 2012 18:03:37 +0000

Buskers
For buskers the street is the stage. It allows any musician of any talent to go out and perform to the public, with no commercial ties or any rules to stick by. For many it is a day job but does not guarantee a wage, the busker is judged by their talent alone, not by popularity or trends. If they don’t impress the public they will go home with no money. For these reasons the busking community is made up of people of all ages, many people starting in their early teens and continuing throughout their lives into their old age. One of the few shared characteristics between the buskers is their love of their art and desire to share it with the public. This project documents these musicians on their stage.

Mo Hussein

admin — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:44:54 +0000

Diaspora
Diaspora explores the legacy of social displacement through the roots of ethnic communities developing in the UK. Looking at a district of Bristol housing a high concentration of Somali nationals, the series documents a diverse migrant population looking to rebuild from a collective history of war, famine or drought in their homeland. Focused on the area around Lawrence Hill in Easton, I had the opportunity to use my photography to interact, communicate and closely relate to the individuals who lived there.

Representing the largest migrant population in the South West, I looked to document this unique environment through its social integration of Western urbanisation alongside a potent mix of Somali culture and traditions. From daily prayer and community discussions at the local Mosque, to home cooking and weekly football matches within the district, these small stories represent a vibrancy of communal ties, Muslim faith and family narratives that span continents.

Shooting Diaspora allowed me to better place my own background as a Somali immigrant living in the UK. By visually documenting this community I looked to shed light on ethics and issues that remain politically relevant in today’s expanding multicultural society, as well as the power of individual stories from a unified history of displacement.

Marco Kesseler

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:34 +0000

Gjakmarrja: Albania’s Revenged Blood
The Kanun Code, which historically spanned the Balkans since the 15th century was a set of customary laws divided into six sections as guides on how people should live their lives. In the early 20th century they were finally transcribed and people from many districts still adhere to parts of The Kanun over the Albanian judicial system. One of the categories focuses on criminal law, in particular Gjakmarrja (literally ‘blood-taking’), which allows the revenge of blood feuds in a like for like manner; this means that any male member of the murderer’s family may be targeted for revenge by the family of the victim. During the communist years this tradition was virtually wiped out, however since the regime’s fall the number of blood feud cases has risen sharply.

Organisations responsible for the prevention of blood-feuds, recently reported there to be over 1,000 families in more than 750 villages and cities still suffering from the effects of these laws, some having been self imprisoned for over ten years. This ongoing documentary studies mediators, who work to reconcile blood feuds and follows two families that live in a constant state of suspense and despair, forever waiting for freedom.

Chris Hoare

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:58:16 +0000

Dreamers
Dreamers is created out of series of pictures and text, collectively it comes together to give an insight into Bristol’s lively, albeit somewhat untapped ‘Hip-Hop’ scene. Using the guidance of notable characters on the Bristol circuit, this series of images goes some distance to uncovering the cultures presence in the city, which is increasingly prominent with the success of recent emerging artists.

Whilst some of the cities emcees, singers and producers are gaining a national reputation, others are putting in the work in an attempt to match their local heroes. All of the characters featured in the project have a dream, a dream that consists of fame, fortune, recognition and getting paid off of the energy they are putting in to their music.

Created in the same year that the youth voiced their anger in what seemed like aimless riots, the project itself hopes to reveal a different side to what some critics would call ‘Britain’s lost generation’. Dreamers is a reflection of the hard work and creativity that the youth are putting in to music all across the country, Dreamers is based in Bristol but acts as an example of what is happening up and down the country. In the a

The city itself has a rich musical history, however within this series of pictures history bares almost no relevance. In fact its ambitious musicians that are much more attuned with the saying “making history” than history itself.

Tom Jamieson

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:57:23 +0000

On Europe’s Border
More than 128,000 undocumented migrants passed through Greece’s land and sea borders in 2011, contributing to 90 per cent of all illegal immigration into Europe last year.

Having travelled so far, often from areas of conflict such as Afghanistan or Sudan, Greece is just another part of the
journey, a stepping stone for other destinations in Europe.

With this project, I have tried to share the experience of
moving through Greece as a migrant whilst also looking at the reactions and implications involved with their presence there.

This portion of a much longer journey can be split into three sections; points of arrival along Greece’s North Eastern
border with Turkey, short term destinations like Athens, where migrants find themselves temporarily living and transit points for the rest of Europe such as the port city of Patras.

The story of immigration in Greece is not a Greek issue but a European one.

Racheal Kay Stanley

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:57:12 +0000

Life’s a Drag
Drag queens are men that dress, act and transform into a personal perception of a woman’s persona. They vary in many ways, from entertaining to pleasure and fetishes. Although many are gay, there are drag artists that are of all genders and sexualities.

The project focuses on their flamboyant characters and style. Colours are the main aspect of every drag queen, personified in either makeup or clothes. “The tackier the better” capturing a vibrant and “in-your face” aspect each drag artists has their unique and colourful ultra ego. It is a way of escaping into a more confident and, at times, bitchy skin.

Rowan Quarry

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:56:59 +0000

Speaker Worship
Since its start in the late 1980s the rave or free party scene and the culture surrounding it has received much criticism from the government and the media. Within this project I look beyond whether it is right or wrong and examine the scene from a socio-cultural perspective.

I examine and endeavour to show why it is people feel the need to place themselves in this unique environment.

When you break down the processes that take place, it could be compared to ancient religious practices predating Christianity.

The most comparable practice would be the solstice and equinox rituals, which are common amongst many religions including Celtic paganism.

These practices involve a pilgrimage to a sacred site to celebrate the next stage in the cycle of the seasons.
This bares resemblances to a rave, which creates an environment designed to generate a religious like rapture in the attendants.
This is done by taking different elements from processes and rituals within religion and modernising them. A good example of this is drumming which has been used for rituals and celebrations for thousands of years, which is now played electronically over speakers.

To get to a free party you have to need access to the party line which is a number that you ring after a certain time which will describe the location of the party on the answer phone message. This is done to make sure that the location is no known until the last minute so the police cannot get wind of it.

When you place people in an environment that has no restrictions you can view a different style of human interaction and existence.
Through these images you can view a system outside of the constraints of the social structures that are implemented by a monetary system and the laws that are created to serve it.