bystander exhibition - jamie ashman
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Bystander Exhibition - Jamie AshmanTRANSCRIPT
Bystander Jamie Ashman
hack·neyed
Dedicated to the memory of a murdered friend, Jamie Ashman’s Hackneyed documents the day-to-day lives of young males living in the London borough of Hackney. Some of the people featured are on the dole, others in gangs, or selling drugs, whilst others are studying or working towards a better future. Jamie’s images rarely leave the estates, portraying a Hackney divided into small high-rise settlements, these colour-coded areas represent boundaries; places the inhabitants may struggle to leave. This is often due to lack of work, or even personal choice: to venture into another area, even if relatively local, may risk confrontation with rival gangs.
hack·neyed [hak-need] –adjective made commonplace or trite; stale; banal: the hackneyed images of his poetry.
Perhaps this dictionary definition best describes the situation. The contemporary youth unable to escape the estate form a predictable cycle, one ‘commonplace’ to cities the world over. But perhaps it also reflects the ‘trite’ opinions held by the viewer, our own stereotyping when confronted with of images of bull terriers, tower blocks and hooded youths. The project can be seen in its current entirety in his book, which is also on display at this exhibition.
www.wix.com/cotton89/jamieashmanphotography
Jamie is also Director of Photography at FlipBox Creative: www.flipboxcreative.co.uk
1. Sammy gets nicked. Sammy being arrested, mid football match by under cover police on the Shakespeare Estate. 2011
2. Bush’s Wheels. Hushen ‘Bush’ Hussain with a spliff and skates, Clissold Park. 2011
3. SOS boys. Boys from the SOS (Soldiers of Shakespeare/Shoot on Sight) gang on the Shakespeare Estate. 2011
4. Kwame’s Rubble. Kwame Boama standing on the rubble of his old block of flats on the Kings Crescent Estate. 2011
5. Bush’s Piff. Hushen ‘Bush’ Hussain ‘smoking the piff’ at a mates house in Stoke Newington. 2011
6. Wills Wall. Posters on the wall in Wills room, Stoke Newington. 2011
7. Demetris. Demetris, 19, at the Shakespeare Youth Club on the Shakespeare Estate. 2011
8. Faheem and Chad. Faheem and Chad, both 13, outside Chad’s flat on the De Beauvoir Estate. 2011
9. Tower Block Top. Chad, Faheem and Bradley playing on the roof of one of the tower blocks on the De Beauvoir Estate. 2011
All images are 47cm x 47cm, Digital Negative Matt Prints. Price: £70 per print and £100 with frame. Different sizes are available. Books are £110 each.
For sales enquiries please contact: [email protected] / +44 (0)208 9857827