I've always been more of an animal person than a person person. Prefer puppies to babies any day of the week, and until someone shows me a baby that can fetch a stick I doubt I'll change my mind. So if you want to prick my conscience and use photography to make me think about incarceration this is the way to do it. This work cuts through all the politics and cultural baggage that comes with lots of prison photography. Whatever side of the argument you might take I can say for certain that not one of these detainees has ever plotted a terror campaign. I'm not distracted by confusing side issues, cool prison tattoo's hippity hop posturing or gun turrets.This is pure captivity. I can take the dog in a dogs home as a metaphor or I can just ask myself, "if we lie to ourselves that we are a nation of dog lovers what else do we kid ourselves about?"
see more of John Darwell's work HERE.
On top of being one of the country's leading documentary photographers John Darwell also teaches MA students. If you are thinking of doing an MA you could do a lot lot worse. Click on the flyer below to make it bigger so you can read it. It's not linked. If you're smart enough to do an MA you're smart enough to find the course online.
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