UAL photojournalists' homelessness projects

by Francesca Cotton and Miriam Otterbeck

With the UK Homeless Film Festival ending today (April 26), LCC BA Photojournalists David Shaw and Joupin Ghamsari have marked the occassion by producing photo-essays that portray the stark reality of homeless people in London and refugees in Greece. 

The Homeless Film Festival provides a platform for homeless people to tell their stories. After taking place in seven UK cities including Belfast, Manchester and Newcastle, the festival ends in London with the free screening of No Fixed Abode, a film made by homelsess people about a man who wakes up in a homeless hostel. The film follows the man while he tries to piece together how he arrived there.

The screening takes place at LCC in the podium lecture theatre at 6pm tonight (April 26th). For more information, click here.

View David and Joupin's photo-essays below.

 

Joupin Ghamsari: Homeless in London

By Joupin Ghamsari

Homelessness is a subject that has always been overlooked by both the government and the public. Everyone knows that the problem exists yet most choose to ignore it as they go about their day to day life. In London alone the number of rough sleepers has risen by 8 per cent, a figure which is increasing year by year as unemployment rises and government funding becomes scarcer. Homeless in London takes an up close and personal look at life on the streets, revealing some of the experiences that the homeless go through on the streets of London. From drug addiction to relationships formed on the streets, each reveals an aspect of homelessness hidden away from society. We live in a world with seven billion people, yet these people are still alone.

 

 

 

David Shaw: Migration to Europe - Greece's 2nd Tier Citizens

By David Shaw

Thousands of migrants and refugees fleeing poverty, famine or political strife enter Greece illegally every year. Everyday new arrivals break through the borders and enter a stalemate of life, neither able to leave or return home. Thousands of migrants live a second tier life with few rights and little access to medical care or work.

Every week Athens gives out only 20 asylum places to hundreds of desperate people with a first come first served policy which creates tensions between the migrants. As well as this, there are constant attacks from far-right thugs and policeman.

Thousands of people in Greece are suffering, yet the EU and the UN will not help Greece, a country already in economic chaos, to deal with this problem which tough policies and class divides is not going to push away.