Moving Mood: The "End"

Mayan calendar marks today as the end of the world (as we know it). I've always taken these predictions lightly solely because we can never know when we will leave this world and if you spend time fearing or preparing for that unpredictable and unescapable end then you won't truly live...

My talented friend and designer Jenn Lee was recently in London to shoot her collection, with the apocalypse at the core of her designs I shot this whilst we were shooting a story with the collection. The  mindset behind this collection is the darkness usually associated with "the end" but balanced with the aftermath, rebuilding. 

p.s I was born post apocalyptic so I've been waiting for this.

Preview: Ruby Fung

Delicate Bleed.

SWONZ-ee Romance

Cornelius and Amy

"In the last four years the small South Wales city of Swansea registered a 180 percent rise of heroin users. Young people made up the bulk of the increase"

It's not only Charlotte "the operatic child bearer" Church and Stacey's (Gavin & Stacey) half who bring Wales to the world eyes. Introducing the latest branch to join the collective *yank the dragons tales and release the fire* Swansea Love Story. It's just that simple geographical location and genre, no need to get laa-di-daah with poetry and double entendre's. This film is the media baby from duo Andy Capper (UK Vice editor) and Leo Leigh follows people such as Cornelius and Amy a homeless couple who tick the stereoptype boxes of those without four walls and a roof, they are alcoholics and heroin addicts *middle class gasp*. We are introduced to the troubled twosome having a contest (not the singing and dancing sort) of who first started using (the "gold" medal being 11 y.o). A battle of trauma is next on the cards, in the blue corner a homeless Amy aged 12 and in the red corner a 16 year old drug dealing (with the pa of course) Cornelius. If this isn't dark enough for you... the lights dim even lower.

Other character Lee and Leanne, Clint, Kristian and Wills are followed with a fly on the wall approach. The film captures the characters struggle to finance their addictions, get clean and relapse. In love, out of love and the affect it has on their families. Despite the drugs (which could be sufficient incentive for some) this docu-film brings a top-up of the current Swansea courtesy of elder statesmen of the mines and working mens club. What we have here is C4 cutting edge vs Trainspotting approach of showing the underworld, questions are asked and then answered by prostitutes, users, the below bread-liners etc the yolk in this egg being the love story.

Andrew

"Swansea... is a good town. As long as everyone gets on. If you don't get on, well you can't make it can you?"

‘We wanted to make this film because we were tired of seeing homeless young people being portrayed as little more than statistics. Documentaries about drug use often come out pious and fail to really get to know the people behind the drug usage. We wanted to show what it was like to live with an addiction as realistically as possible.’ Andy Capper

Andy & Leo with the cast

Be sure to check on vbs.tv from February 12th!