An eye on Generation Connect
| South African-born lensman enters rooms from Tokyo to African bush, writes
SOUTH African-born photographer and filmmaker John Thackwray has documented a six-year odyssey that took him to 55 countries taking photographs of young people where they sleep.
His book My Room, which is being prepared for publication, features 100 people born in the ’80s and ’90s.
He interviewed them about their lifestyle, local issues, education, religion and love. Their stories — urban and rural — reflect the state of human rights and development around the world.
“Every photo has a different story,” said Thackwray, originally from Cape Town and now based in France.
Thackwray said he learnt that inequality and ignorance were the scourges of humanity.
“I definitely think the world is unfair and that many people confuse poverty and violence. Poor communities are not necessarily violent.
“Many people confuse comfort and happiness. I’ve seen more smiles in poor countries and much more depression in developed countries.
“The Syrian and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon were really sad, as were the stories told by Rwandan youth who had survived the 1994 genocide but lost their families.
“And photographing prisoners in North Mexico who talked about redemption . . .
“I hold the Iranian youth close to my heart, after seeing them fight against the lack of freedom. I was impressed by the spiritualty in India, the hospitality in Russia, and the craziness of the Japanese lifestyle.”
Thackwray said a common denominator was access to the internet and social networks — from a young Saudi woman to a farmer in the African bush.
“This is the connected generation, allowing me to stay in touch with most of them.”
He would not disclose the techniques he used to capture each shot from above.
His next project “is going to talk about love and history”.
To view Thackwray’s photos, go to myroomphotos.com