Having lived on the
outskirts of London for most of my life, I have observed various aspects of the
city. This includes witnessing crime in certain areas. Camera clubs often
favour happy images that judges might want on their walls, which can be
limiting for photographers. Photography as a form of communication does not
need to be cheerful and light-hearted. Motivated by this perspective, I decided
to create a project with a serious message to encourage judges to consider more
substantial work. Tragically, a family friend's son was stabbed and died in
London. I attended much of the court case that followed. As a result of the
issue of knife crime in London and a desire to convey a serious point through
photography, I produced this sombre series of images. The colour images were deliberately
processed harshly in order to create a feel of semi video game and semi reality
to try conveying the hard-hitting effects of acting out extreme violence consumed
in video games and the harsh reality of the real world.