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“How do you take a popular cliche and make it relevant and interesting?” Sebastian Barros creates a dynamic, intimate view of everyday people in lockdown. 

In a time we have all been physically distant, I think we can agree the experience has been shared and universal. The majority of us have been experiencing the same mundane, mentally challenging groundhog day for almost a year. What it can be harder to find and notice, are the fleeting moments of beauty. The fragments of the day that make each experience unique and, maybe, just maybe, not all bad. 

Taking up the challenge of documenting the pandemic from a fresh perspective is almost a risky feat. While it certainly is a new experience for us to work with, it is a new experience for everyone and is something continuously being captured and immortalised in photo stories across the world. Sebastian Barros cleverly, and successfully took on this concept, whilst adding another challenge and aesthetic to the mix, the use of disposable cameras. While a stunning aesthetic, taking us to simpler times pre-camera phone, it is a technique used an awful lot in projects. If not done exactly right and hit that sweet spot of parring concept and content, the project can fade into the noise of the disposable genre. This is something Barros was aware of, but noting that the task at hand actually needed the use of disposable cameras. “The world had slowed down; people suddenly found themselves confronted with a kind of intimacy and self-responsibility that hadn’t happened before - that set of circumstances meant that disposable cameras were the right medium”.  

He was right, the aesthetic and move from the instant digital image provides us with an intimate, almost filmic portrait of lockdown. Barros creates space for his participants to look at their everyday with a different perspective, and both literally and figuratively, a different lens. Each participant gives us a glimpse into the moments that make their experience unique while presenting some overarching themes that every one of us can on at least some basic level relate to. From Lana's depiction of at home yoga, to Tom's handmade happy birthday banner. These moments conjure up reflections of our own experience and bring us back to reality. To the personal and human experience of a global pandemic, away from the glaring gaze of the digital.

I caught up with Sebastian to find out more about what inspired him to create the very aptly titled Lives in Limbo, and why removing himself was such an important and cathartic element of the project. Read on to find out more and for some interesting musings on the digital world that both connects us to each other and distances us from ourselves. 

How did you find working on a project during an international crisis and lockdown compare to previous projects undertaken in “normal” times? 

Well, the most obvious change was the fact it was all virtual. Once we’d moved past that it was actually quite similar in terms of research and casting. I spent a lot of time on the phone with the subjects of the story before they started and gave them some coaching on how to make a photo story. This part for me was one of the most enjoyable, connecting with other people and sharing what was on our minds in the early days of the pandemic - I found a lot of comfort in that connection. There was a lot of anxiety around, but I also saw a lot of hope and optimism too - sentiments that were parallel with mine. The project inadvertently almost became a coping mechanism for me as I personally made sense of the world we now found ourselves in 

What were your personal expectations from this project? 

I think any creative person is interested in and influenced by the world around them, and I definitely felt an urge to contribute to the conversation of that time. What I found restrictive at first (not being able to shoot how I usually would) became an exploration into different forms of story-telling and my expectations were less about the final result and more about what I discovered along the way.

How comes you did not also include yourself in the project? 

I think my overwhelming feelings about this time were less about the individual and more about the community - we were seeing a kind of dismantling of world order and the kind of democratic creative collaboration that hadn’t happened before. I really wanted to explore real human stories without any kind of author bias and felt that would happen if I was in it myself. 

Using disposable cameras is a very popular topic, which if done wrong can fade into the noise of that sub-genre of photography. How did you go about ensuring your work would stand out in such a way?

See what you said just there is what I found the most interesting. You're right - disposable cameras are a very popular topic and one that can quickly become cliched. So how do you take a popular cliche and make it relevant and interesting? That was the overarching drive of the whole project for me - and it comes back to authenticity. The world had slowed down; people suddenly found themselves confronted with a kind of intimacy and self-responsibility that hadn’t happened before - that set of circumstances meant that disposable cameras were the right medium. In order for the project to stand out and remain reflective of the people documented, I kept in touch with them throughout. Although I wasn’t able to physically direct them in person, speaking to them and listening to their stories and encouraging them to explore these, really helped when it came out arranging the images, as I had a bit insight into them as a person and their story through the lockdown. 

How did it feel for you to hand over your project to the participants? Did you feel a loss of control or at peace with waiting and not having any direction? 

It was quite exciting, actually. The whole world was out of control - there was peace to be found in the acceptance of that on every level. 

What is your advice for artists wanting to do a similar project that requires the element of lost control? 

Allow your expectations to remain fluid and evolve with time. The beauty is in the unexpected - give in to any preconceived expectations and see what comes up. 

What participant, or images, struck you the most? 

They are all great, but some of my favourites -

Lana - the image of here lying down on the floor, perfectly invokes that feeling of isolation 

Nathan - The image of a cat with the shadow of his hands, I like how playful and mundane the images are.

Lakwena - shots of her kids are just incredible. 

All of your subjects were from London and the surrounding areas. How do you think the outcome would have differed if there were participants from further afield, and in the polar opposite, the countryside for example? 

I feel since the majority of these images were taken inside the home they have a commonality that goes beyond something geographical. 

How do you think the use of digital would have affected the project? For example, how the participants interacted with the project and created their response? 

I feel it would create a much cleaner, more choreographed feel, which is the opposite I wanted to achieve with this project and why I chose film. 

While this project is wholeheartedly raw and unfiltered, with you facilitating rather than directing, did you consider how choosing friends rather than a call for random participants, for example, was in itself a form of editing and steering direction? 

I actually did do a call for random participants, but the act of getting the message of the project out was limited to the social media platforms which inevitably have their own echo chamber - so there are participants included I didn’t know before - but the majority were friends or friends of friends. 

That’s an interesting angle to take for something in the future actually - in a digital/ social media-saturated world - are we ever able to make anything truly ‘random’? I’m not sure.

This project was born in the beginnings of lockdown, 2020. Now we are into our second year of lockdowns, and there is a cumulative noticeable downhill shift in wellbeing, emotions and attitude this time around, how do you think your approach and the outcome from participants would differ? 

I would maybe bring in a voice and video element to the project - asking participants to make a voice note diary talking about their hopes, fears for the present and future feels interesting. I think a build on this project would be that more multi-media approach - the story is textured and I don't think one media format could sum up this current moment. 

From an outside perspective, it would be great to see this project keep growing, either with more participants or revisiting the existing ones a year later. What are your plans for this? Or is it a closed chapter? 

I think that’s been my big learning - leave all expectations at the door and remain open to possibility. Right now, I am focusing on a different project, and this one evokes a time where life was uncertain and quite scary at times - those aren’t emotions I want to revisit immediately but who knows? I’m certainly open to the possibility. 

How else have you been keeping yourself busy throughout the past year? 

I’m working on a long-form project with a grassroots football team called Grenfell Athletic, which was formed after the fire in 2017 as a way for the community to cope with the tragedy.. This has been another project that has greatly helped me personally - I’ve witnessed such strength and also, such joy, from this community - it’s had a profound effect on me. I’m excited to see this develop 

What can we expect to see from you in the future? 

I want to keep making work that is true to me and where I find myself in life at that point. I’m shooting a lot of editorials right now and working on my moving image portfolio. 

You can see more of Sebastian’s work at http://www.sebbarros.com/ 

Words and Interview by Alice Sophie Turrell

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In conversation with Tim Boddy, we discuss queer history, culture and community through the experiences Boddy had whilst making Queering Sami and The Fabulous Ones. 

Hey Tim, thanks for taking time to talk. Just to kick things off, how did you come to taking pictures and photography being a route for you?

Hey, interesting questions. I know some people will have a snappy answer as to how they got into photography but I always struggle, as I feel like it's been a slow burner relationship. It’s not like from when I was 8 I was handed a camera and it took off from there. In my early 20’s I got a camera, I was a little lost and didn’t have something that brought me joy, I kinda had a rough time in my 20s with mental health, and this was when society wasn’t in an open place as we are now. I started taking photos which caught my attention in my local town, and I remember it giving me a sense of joy. I went to study photography on a whim, and it helped to solidify my connection with photography. I started my masters in 2018 and in the year leading up I got more into finding my identity as a photographer and I guess as a queer person in general where those things have linked in. 

Did you find yourself the more you experimented with photography and exploring your own identity, was photography something which allowed you to explore the narratives on what you wanted to tell?

I’ve had my own unique experience of coming out and I guess everyone has. I was a little bit slow in that journey. It was only in my late 20’s where I was an openly gay man which I feel was reflected in my work. If I look back at photos I took in my mid 20s, I find that it didn’t have that much of an identity. Partly because I didn’t know myself very well and what it was that connected me to the world. There were some projects I did that I think have some merit but there was a level of objectiveness and emotional distance. However now I’ve taken a 180 my approach.

Your work on Queering Sami really csaught my attention, when I think of Scandnvian countries I don’t think of the stories you’ve told on discrimination. How did you discover these stories and the culture and history of Sami and queer lives?

I’ve had an interest in scandanvian culture for some time. Partly because of how people put it up a liberal utopia to an extent and is recognised of how progressive it is. And it is in many ways. I just happened to see a story three or four years ago, it was about one of the people involved in my project Runar Myrnes Balto. Balto has been President of the Norwegian Sámi Association since 2018. He's also a Sámi member of Parliament, elected in 2017, and the first openly gay member of Parliament. It was this queer story that was a perfect expression of the kind of stories that I am interest in. I did so much research for about 4 months to find out who these  queer members of the Sami community were. The more I kept delving into the subject matter and stripping the layers away and increasing my understanding of the issues involved, not only as a queer person but of Sami history and identity in Northern Scandinavia, the more interested I became. There's this idea of double violence present; not only of oppression from the government and individual Scandinavian states, but also oppression of being a queer person in a heteronormative society. I feel that a lot of marginalised people, wherever they are based, can relate to the stories

The story is very reflective of how many other news stories and examples of queer oppression and almost acts as a pocket example of it. When did you got to Sami, how did your months of research meet with your first impressions?

I guess my expectations were met by my lived experiences of what its like meeting members of the queer community in general, who can often be more open and accepting. I had open and in depth conversations with everyone I photographed and even though I wasn’t part of the Sam Community. I felt welcomed as part of the community. There was a catharsis to the entire experience, I look back on it as great fondness.

I spent hours chatting to the participants prior to taking photographs of them, and had really stimulating discussions on all matter of queer issues; be it Sami-related, family, other general queer topics or how things are in the UK with LGBTQ+ rights

I think your experience often comes down to the more you hear and know about queer experiences from people in the community, theres a level of a shared understanding between everyone on what its like living and being gay in society. Do you think by sharing your stories helped with making the work?

I think it there's a level of empathy and understanding queer people can easily share with one another. We all have our history and trauma growing up queer in a straight society. I think the openness and warmth I felt would have been the same if I was straight but we were able to connect on a different level. 

I think what stood our for me was seeing the people you met in Sami traditional clothing whilst being openly queer. I found those images to be really powerful as it's a prgressive connection between culture and their authentic selves. How did that approach of photographing them come along?

I didn’t ask anyone to dress up in traditional clothes, called Gakti. In these warm and in-depth conversation  the subjects came forward wanting to wear these outfits. It's almost a uniform as different outfits have colours and they all have different meanings. I feel it gives the image a direct look at the project being about Sami culture. 

One of the photographs is of Timimie Marak (they / them), an activist in Sami, tell me more about them…

They are a tour de force, they walked me around Stockholm and their home. They’ve been at the forefront of activism and really take no prisoners. They (Timimie) use art and lectures to highlight how the normative power silences and stupefies, and Timimie possesses a strong understanding of how environmental concerns are vital to the indigenous community. They are involved with the organising of Sápmi Pride amongst other things (fun fact: the first Sápmi Pride was held in the northern Swedish town of Kiruna in 2014).

When you made the work what was the level of discrimination and violence was happening?

I was there in 2019 and it would have been impossible to make  this body of work 5 years before that.. Its nothing short of remarkable how far its come; from a lot of shame within the queer Sami community, to people writing books about queer Sami people, and society hearing about their experiences and openly discussing all these issues. The difference between 2010 to 2020, where you now have people in higher levels of Sami politics who are openly gay people is incredible. This is a good news story and this idea is something I’m drawn towards, work that shows queer activism, postivity, well-being and mental health, and this work encompases those things.

That's not to say that everything is magically fixed, and every queer Sami person is able to live a life without prejudice - there's still work to be done. But the progress is heart-warming.

It's really refreshing to see a project about people claiming their rights in society. It's done really subtly. After making Queering Sami you moved on to make Fabulous Ones. How did you come to making a project about reclaiming queer spaces?

I live in a world where queer spaces are a part of my life. Prior to lockdown 1 I was going to events, nights - but not just to these more established ‘bricks and mortar’ spaces, these iconic gay places. I do recognise however that going to these iconic places can be an important way of shaping your experience coming out for some people. 

58% of queer spaces disappearing between 2006 and 2016 is really culturally important but also not totally the lived experience I have had. They are an important part to some people when coming out and dipping your toes into lgbt community. However, there are more queer collectives and nights and events that are now taking a different approach. The way I experience gay life in London is moving away from the idea of a fixed place, be it a poetry night in a pub, or music, clubs, acting, drag, performance. They are perhaps operating more of a DIY night out, but I want to refrain from saying DIY as a lot of these people are at the top of their game. A lot of people are doing really creative, exciting, and most importantly inclusive things. This is a world I exist in and inhabit. I simply enjoy going to queer events and queer nights and feel part of the community.

Why do you think Queer spaces are disappearing?

I think it's multi-faceted. London is a hard place to live, lots of gentrification.  A lot fo queer spaces are independently run so they are not like All Bar One, Wetherspoons. Rent is extortionate with capitalism eating itself basically. 

There's also points to be raised which I’ve had conversations with people in this project about who these spaces were for. A lot of them were and are important but catered more to a cis white crowd. It's a bit unfair to purely blame them for their own downfall, but that is an element of it, when you can't move with the times. For some places there was a lack of diversity, I'm thinking in terms of people being freely able to express their gender, and spaces truly accepting of people of colour and trans people. Some didn't evolve as the LGBTQ+ community evolved.

What tactics are being used to keep queer spaces going?

Getting away from a bricks and mortar type of space. Making more queering of regular spaces. One thing which comes to mind is an event called Knickerbocker which is a queer club night run by two white cis males, but how they approach the night is very inclusive and progressive. They launched their event at a place called the Yard theatre which is a general non-LGBTQ+ cultural space that hosts various shows and events. For example, when Aaron and Alex started Knickerbocker they made sure all toilets were gender neutral, which was not The Yard Theatre's policy until then. However once Knickerbocker implemented this for their (originally one-off) night, The Yard Theatre now have all their toilets gender neutral by default for every event that they host. In affect, Knickerbocker successfully queered that space.l. They make an effort for their event to be inclusive of trans and gender fluid people. Door staff are trained in a certain way and they know how to make the space a welcoming one when you arrive. As you know the world gives you enough shit being different, so a welcoming and safe place is needed.

I think it's really important you’re telling these stories now, especially in a time where homophobia and hate crime is on the rise and has been growing staggeringly since 2016. Queer stories and visibility need to be seen more than ever. With the world the way it is at the moment, is there a roadmap on the next set of stories you want to tell?

Since graduating and being in the Pandemic it hasn't been easy working on this but my intention to come back to the Fabulous Ones project. With LGBTQIA+ rights changing all the time all over the world, I want to tell stories despite it being so difficult to do so in a pandemic. When things open up I want to explore how new voices and talent shape queer culture in London as well as larger issues we face as a community. 

The queer community has always possessed a resilience in terms of how spaces are used and enjoyed, history has taught us this; and while there are enormous challenges ahead, I don't doubt that the community will continue to find ways to adapt and entertain us all.

You can find more of Tim's work here.

This article contains image descriptions in the captions to help those with visual impairments.

In a new series showcasing work made by photographers in lockdown*, we will be spending time with those who found ways to create new images against the backdrop of a pandemic. Editor Harry Rose spoke with photographer Conor Beary on zoom, to find out more about his latest body of work ‘Dogs’ and the people and places he prefers to photograph. 

*Dog’s was produced during the lifting of restrictions of the first national lockdown within the UK. Social distancing was in place throughout. 

Before we get into your latest work made in lockdown, I wanted to start with your project called Gypsies which has an interesting parallel to Dogs. There is a perception and stereotype of this community which has been put out there by tabloids and the media, what was your experience compared to a show that seemed exploitive like Big Fat Gypsy Wedding?

I grew up in an area where there are a lot of settled gypsies and travellers. I saw a lot of glamorised stories in the papers and media, which is nothing like what I’ve grown up around. I understand that there may well be negative parts of the community and traditions that the media love to talk about but there is also a lot more to a community and culture. I’m a strong believer there are positive and negative aspects to every community and culture, it's all in the eye of the beholder. 

How did you start making images with the travelling community?

What got me into photographing the Gypsy/ Traveller community was when one of the key members in my area of the traveller community died, there was a huge funeral in the village. I didn’t have my camera on me, but there were thousands of people there. I went to the grave the next day where they had wreaths placed.  In some Gypsy/Traveller communities it is tradition to have really personalized wreaths, so if the person who died loved Mars bars they would have one made. I took some photographs of them and took them to the widow, she really liked them, we had tea, some KFC and spoke about horse fairs.

I guess it showed a level of humility and sympathising with her and the grieving community.. A camera is really intrusive, and I guess there's a higher level of trust needed by the people you went on to photograph.

Yeah, like you said with Big Fat Gypsy wedding, that did a lot of damage and there were a lot of people worried about coming into their space. Like if I turned up at a horse fair with a camera and nobody knew me, people would think either you’re a tabloid photographer or creating a negative documentary. A few years ago whilst shooting this project, a TV network got in touch. They wanted me to be a fixer for them to get access to the community. Their researchers got the numbers of all the top members of the traveller community on the phone, but there was a bit of a communication barrier so I was their translator for a week. I was really anxious about working with the network, as the week went on I could tell the documentary was going in a direction I wasn’t okay with. Asking questions which weren’t appropriate and situations like them really wanting to film bare knuckle fighting. There was a fight going to happen between two families and the network was so eager to get it on film. One of the families didn’t show up. So they were scrambling around to find a fight. A couple of kids approached the producers saying if they got paid they’d fight one another. The producer asked me, and I was shocked she was asking me if I thought it was okay to pay kids to fight. If they were genuinely fighting then film it, but going around paying kids to fight, it wasn’t great. It didn't happen in the end, I spoke to the boys' fathers and we agreed it should not go ahead. I think thats one of the important things about the trust given in a situation like that, the portrayal a filmmaker/ photographer has can have serious consequences. For a group like the Gypsy and Traveller community who are already vastly marginalised you have to tread very carefully, I feel anyway. 

The portraits you’ve made within this project have a really unique timeless quality to them. The ones of the two girls especially.

It’s probably just the camera! Thank you, I take a lot of inspiration from old classic photographers. I was always told when assisting to take note of what's come before when making images.

You’re too modest, they really stood out.  I think your experience on documenting the travelling community where people's perceptions might not be as accurate as they think leads nicely into the work you made in lockdown. There was a lot of samey imagery during lockdown, photographs of masks on the floor, people shot through windows. When you got in touch with your project it really stood out. How did you go from being in total lockdown, to restrictions being lifted and making new work?

I was pulling my hair out from boredom. I hadn’t been shooting at all for some time. So whilst in lockdown I’d drive past this yard off the side of the motorway tucked behind a canal. I knew it was something to do with dogs, and it was always busy on my weekly drive to the supermarket. It was as simple as just turning up. I’m a big fan of turning up and talking to people rather than arranging something on email. I turned up with some of my pictures and spoke to a few guys there. Told them my intentions and what I wanted to create, eventually I would like to start taking photographs of other types of working dogs but for now Bullmastiffs will do.

Everyone I met was through Sati who owns the yard, so I can’t thank him enough, his company is 5K9 Security if you ever find yourself needing a dog 🙂 .  I decided to shoot it against a white backdrop to try and keep a uniformed feel to the work. Avendon was one of my inspirations to start taking pictures, if it works for him, it works for me!

A bit of a simple question, but why did the owners feel the need to have protection by training a dog up?

It did throw me a little bit. Some of them are working dogs like security dogs. Others were just very volatile pets. Unless you need nobody to ever be in your house, I’m not sure why you’d own one when they are trained to hurt. Personally I was weary because having an animal that can do that much damage is a little scary. There is a level of its a weapon and for some I think its showing off, saying I’m hard don’t mess with me I’ve got a big dog. But there is also an element where people feel like they genuinely need protection, for whatever reason. To be honest I probably haven’t met enough dog owners to get a strong hold of that question, so I’ll come back to you on that one when I do.

I had a few of the dogs go for me, one of them got me, luckily just a nip. I try to learn as much as I can about the people I photograph to empathise or understand. But I still can’t wrap my head around having one trained the way those dogs are, unless it's a professional security dog. But that's just my uneducated opinion.

Were there any stand out stories from the people you met?

One of the guys, Faron Paul, he’s a well known knife crime activist. He has been in the news for running an anti knife crime initiative by getting people to trade in knives in exchange for vouchers. People get in touch with him via instagram and arrange a safe place to meet and get another knife off the streets, he then takes them to a knife amnesty centre. 

The portrayal is jarring from beware I’ve got a dog to actually I’m a really nice guy…

Yeah, he has a few dogs. A while ago a girl got abducted and since then I know he’s been out on patrol for the community. So he does use them for security reasons. I did find it a little bit funny that there's a guy who is anti violence but also with such a dangerous dog between his legs. But then again it's a professional dog, it's kept safe and won’t harm anyone (unless they’ve got it coming). Is there any more danger in people with tarantulas as pets?

Oh don’t I know someone who kept spiders and snakes and one night the python got out and into their bed, so scary.  Going over the photographs, it's interesting that some of the dogs are in full attack mode and others are sitting to attention by their owners' feet. Did you have the idea of having the dogs lunging and barking at the camera showing aggression or?

Not initially. Because the dogs scared me, it turns out these dogs didn’t like having their photos taken so they would lunge and bark at me. I said to the owners that as long as they are 100% sure they’ve got the lead I’d keep taking shots. There was one time, I didn’t include it in the project where a kid was with a dog. I was adamant that the mum should be holding the lead, she assured me the kid could hold it, I didn’t agree. So I opted out. 

One of the owners wasn’t interested in having a photo taken of his dog barking and being aggressive. He wanted to show his dog being perfectly obedient. I offered everyone the chance to choose what type of image they wanted, how they wanted to be depicted, almost everyone opted for their dog showing its teeth at you. I guess that's what they wanted people to see, an animal not to be messed with. 

I think it's really fascinating the posture and compositions of the owners. The guy with the dog between his legs gives the impression his dog is so strong and the woman standing in her fluffy slippers.

Yeah, sadly Bradley’s dog died shortly after I took the photograph. It was something to do with its heart rate causing its stomach to turn. Apparently it's a really common thing. It’s a shame because it was a very well trained dog. Yeah that's Carrie in her slippers? Yeah I like that. You can picture her walking out of her front door, shouting across the road at her kids. 

You can find the full edit of Dogs and other projects by Conor here.