Protest Photography / The British Anti-War Movement: Project Overview
I began organising, attending and photographing protests when I was seventeen. I’ve had the privilege of attending some of the largest, and perhaps some of the smallest, protests ever to take place in Europe. My protest photography is predominately about people and the physical and emotional spaces in which people exist. I’m passionate about photographing people with particular emphasis on conveying emotions. This work focuses predominately on the growth and development of The Anti-War Movement in the UK.
The 2003 Invasion of Iraq divided the British public. I’m a stern critic of the notion of pre-emptive self-defence. I believe that the decision to take action in Iraq should not have been made unilaterally. There should have been a second UN resolution specifically authorising war against Iraq. The invasion was not sanctioned by the UN Security Council, or in accordance with the United Nations Charter, therefore the invasion was against international law. The Invasion of Iraq was based on a false premise. There were no weapons of mass destruction. My faith in the British political establishment was shattered; I felt thoroughly betrayed by my government. Photography was a means of visually interpreting my surroundings to articulate how I was feeling. These photographs are the result of my own capacity to respond emotionally and aesthetically to events as they unfolded before me.
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