Search For Odysseus

Homer’s tale of the Iliad and Odysseus, come from the oral tradition of story telling. These stories are from the ancient world, of gods and men, who fight for valour, honour and their country. I have always been fascinated by the journey of Odysseus. His battles, his journey, his encounters, but overwhelmingly his desire to return to his wife and his family, humbled, wiser, and full of experience. I have been making portraits of refugees in Calais in France. They are people who have travelled across land and sea, from many different countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and the Sudan. These men have travelled far from their homes to seek a better life, to ensure that they can provide for their families and secure a safe place for their family to join them. They arrive in Calais hoping to cross the Channel to the UK. With Brexit, UK border controls are now extremely tight and make the journey hidden in trucks or jumping trains extremely dangerous. Photographing in the refugee camp was my immediate response to the refugee crisis on our doorstep.