Capturing Crisis

Editor’s Note

Editor-in-Chief Cinzia D'Ambrosi Cinzia D'Ambrosi

I am incredibly pleased to present the first edition of Capturing Crisis photography and reporting magazine produced by our group of youths of the 'Stories, Reporting Mag, Photography Course' project. In this edition, we present photo stories and articles that unearth the impact of the cost of living crisis on the various communities living in London, including personal and introspective stories in the face of it nonetheless on the way the city of London is rapidly changing. I am very proud for the commitment, talent and drive demonstrated by the young participants.

The high streets in London are home to the world’s global brands, but at night, transforms into a refuge for the city’s fringed community. In front of major stores and main roads, duvets are laid on pavements and corners become living spaces. Individuals from all over the world and all walks of life find a small spot of real estate in which to spend the night.

The high streets in London are home to the world’s global brands, but at night, transforms into a refuge for the city’s fringed community. In front of major stores and main roads, duvets are laid on pavements and corners become living spaces. Individuals from all over the world and all walks of life find a small spot of real estate in which to spend the night.

Signs are a way of communicating when eye contact is scarce

For some the light of storefronts are the only protection they have in the streets.

Belongings to go - personal effects are mobile for those who need to move around quickly.

A cigarette is a source of warmth in the cold wintry nights.

The high streets in London are home to the world’s global brands, but at night, transforms into a refuge for the city’s fringed community. In front of major stores and main roads, duvets are laid on pavements and corners become living spaces. Individuals from all over the world and all walks of life find a small spot of real estate in which to spend the night.

Friends find comfort as they camp out next to each other with warm blankets and quiet conversations.

S U R V I V A L SZYMON JAKOBSZE

Despite the fact that UK is considered to be the home to one of the top world economies, on the streets we can observe people who still don't have a place they can call home.

74,230 households became homeless or stood on the brink of homelessness in the first quarter of 2022. 25,610 of these households are families with children.

The government has already approved a proposal to build new shelters for the homeless and aim for all municipalities to build such facilities by 2030, but no such steps have been taken yet.

25% of the households which are at risk of being homeless are found to be in this situation due to inability of keep up with prices of tenancy. The historically steep increase in private rent and extremely high household bills made this the second leading cause of homelessness in England.

Photography: Moeaze Samuels

O L I V I A W I L S O N T I C K E T

Photography: TIANA RENDIMONTI

Photography: WEDAD LAHMANI

The cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom is now effecting everyone. We can think of budgeting as a solution, but not the budgeting we always knew which was about saving. It’s about survival. We expected an increase in prices, at the least following COVID-19. The pandemic had a severe impact on different aspects, some essential products were impossible to get hold of such as toilet paper, and businesses that barely made it through the lockdown now had to workouthowtorepaytheirloans.

The general public including many individuals who were receiving smaller payments or lost their small businesses or jobs entirely were left with hardly any support, and by opening this topic doesn’t solve it. We even have cases of mental health problems, the general level of exhaustion, or the anxiety of having to process and deal with the impact and the increase in the cost of living. Today, we are living in an age where things around us aren’t the same anymore. The lifestyle we are used to can’t be part of us anymore. This is an important matter that needs to be addressed and discussed through. From local stores to big companies have experienced less interaction, people don’t buy like they used to, people don’t wear what they used to. Streets have become empty, shops have been closed down and much more. People’s regular routine from going to cinemas to going out for a meal or coffee hardly exists anymore. We have had to cut down so much and sacrifice for our own future, because if we don’t who else will?

Where I live doesn’t look the same, it is as if someone had taken the life out of it. We need solutions, we need help. That’s not much to ask for from the hands of the ones responsible. They have the power that we are trying to gain. It will take decades from us to make a change alone while weeks from them. We need to not only be heard but have put action into our words.

THE VILLAGE

e Village' a not for profit organisation that has opened its doors to help communities in west London build collective resilience in the face of the current cost of living crisis and climate change emergency by bringing communities together and offering a wide variety of eco-friendly events. An Interview with Arthur by the photographers.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Amy Daintree Eden de Feo Zoltan Varga

Photography & Co-Editor of the 'Village' Report: AMY DAINTREE

CAPTURING CRISIS

An interview with Arthur at the ‘The Village’

Where did the idea of the café come from?

Thisspaceiscalled‘TheVillage’.Sowhereitcame from,Asyouknowyoucanproperlyhearit,Iam French.InFrancethistypeofstuffiscalleda ‘Third Space’ and it comes directly from my experience in France. So the shared space is common, Sharing the governance and we are havingastrongsocialagender.Sothatiswherethe idea comes from So I arrived in the United Kingdom,Tenyearsago.SoIlookedatthisandI waslike‘Thisdoesn’texistandwhy?’.ThenI decidedtogoanddoitTherearemultiplereasons astowhyIhadcreatedaspacelikethis,Ifyouare interested.Soitcomesfromtwothings.IsthatIn 2019,Isrealizinghowdeeptroublewearefacing fromanecologicalandclimateperspective For everysinglethingthatyouarelookingaroundat, itisprettyterrible.Ifyouarelookingatthehighs in2015andIthinkthatyourgenerationisvery hard ThatyouwillbeveryhighlyaffectedandI amalsogoingtobeaffected Itisnotsomething forlaterbutitisactuallycomingsoon.SowhenI realizedthis,Ihaddepression,Whichtookmetwo yearstorecoverfrom SothenIhadmydaughter whowasborn.SoIamcurrentlytransitioning from my other job which is working in advertisingtobecomethisfulltime.Sothatis goingtobetheseedforchange

You worked in advertising? How do you reach out to the communities and spread the word?

Soatthemomentwehavedifferenttoolstoreach outtothecommunity Thefirstoneisthatwe haveourownnewsletter Wehaveanewsletter thatwasusedfortheresidentscalled‘TheFactory CallToResidents’.Wearealsoputtingpostersin every single entrance and exits of the space Secondly,Wehavesocialmedia.Wearetalking nexttostoolsandwearesigningupfacebook

groupsyoucaneverimagine.Ifyoueverdothis stuff,don’tevergotofacebookgroupsforsimple reasons,Ifyoudon'tgivemoneytofacebookthey don'tshowyoutoanyone Thereisanaverage researchof2%,Soifyouhave200peopletheywill onlyshowyourpostto2%,butifyougivethem money you will get 100% It has been pretty organic Loadsofpeoplewillcome,laterdownin thelineandsay‘Ohyouaredoingthis?,Inwhichit helpsittospreadtheword.Itisstartingtobring about60peopleaday,childrenincluded Soit's goingtobeprettysuccessfulWearetalkingnextto stoolsandwearesigningupfacebookgroupsyou caneverimagine.Ifyoueverdothisstuff,don’t evergotofacebookgroupsforsimplereasons,If youdon'tgivemoneytofacebooktheydon'tshow youtoanyone.

ARTHUR PEREZ

Wearetalkingnexttostoolsandwearesigningup facebookgroupsyoucaneverimagineIfyoueverdo thisstuff,don’tevergotofacebookgroupsforsimple reasons,Ifyoudon'tgivemoneytofacebookthey don't show you to anyone There is an average researchof2%,Soifyouhave200peopletheywill onlyshowyourpostto2%,butifyougivethem moneyyouwillget100%.Ithasbeenprettyorganic. Loadsofpeoplewillcome,laterdowninthelineand say‘Ohyouaredoingthis?,Inwhichithelpsitto spreadtheword.Itisstartingtobringabout60people aday,childrenincluded.Soit'sgoingtobe prettysuccessful

Where did the furniture and the rest of the interior come from?

Sothespaceasyouknowismadefromrecycled productsorithasbeengiven2ndhand.Soeverything youseehere,Wehavebroughtbrandnew Eventhe sofathatyouareseatedonisonethatwasgiventous fromoneoftheresidents.Thosearepalletsandthe shelfisfromconstructionthathasbeenreusedinorder tocreateashelfratherthantobediscarded Sothe questionwasaboutwhere’ditcomefrom?Sowehave justbeengoingaroundbuyingsecondhandonline suchasplaceslikeEbayorGumtreeandtakingthings fromthestreets Alsowegetloadsofpeoplethat donatetoo Irecommendthatyouwanttodothis It takestwiceasmuchstaminaasyouthink.Asitis goingtotaketime.It'sareallylongprocess.

Where do your funds go? Is there a cause you are supporting?

‘TheVillage’isbornwithtwoproblems Thefirst problemisthecurrentecologicalcrisiswearefacing likewehadjustdiscussedpreviously.Inordertoface this,Weneedtocapturecarbonemissionsetc,and theychangeitisalltowardsadaptionSothefirstgoal thatwehaveisallaboutadaptingtowardsclimate change.Soweareheretobuildresilience.Resilience canbefrommultipletypesofdifferentforms For example,knowingyourneighborSowhenthereisan issueyouknowwhotorelyon.Anotheroneis,You needtochangefromthewayyoueat.Soyouneedto stopbeingallaboutmeatanddairybecauseitis25% ofglobalemissionsandalsothewayfarmingistaking placeatthemomentisgoingtodestroytheplanet. Wearethrowingawaytoomuchstuffsoweneedto movefromaneconomythatisjustpurelygreatstuff anditgoesintothebin,Tobecomesomethingthat theywillreuseandcycleandtheywillcreateacircle economy. Also reducing our environmental footprintThesecondthing,Istakingcareofourselves throughmentalhealth.

SothatisjustbuildingresilienceandAsyoumayknow the paris agreement that has been signed, that per humanbeingforpeoplethatsignityouhavewhatyou areusingwithinthecarbonemissionsto2Tonnesa year TheaverageBritis13TonnesofCO2emissions thatweareproducing Mostlydowntoourflatsand housesthatwelivein.Sotheenergythatweusefrom thatandalsothetypeoffoodsthatweeatandthe transportthatweusesuchasBuess,PlanesandCarsSo the way we are living is too damaging for our environment.Sothewaywedothingsareindicating people to create an environment that how people shouldreducetheirenvironmentalfootprint,Inorderto dothiswehavetogetpeoplelivealifethatrequiresless, Sowedon’tneedsomuch.Socreatingaspacewhere wecanjustthriveislessiswhereweE-Trustisless.

So the answer to your question for funding. We currentlyreceivemoneyfromanorganizationthatis fromFranceandwealsogetprivatefunding.Sohereis justapopupandwearetryingthisfirstandthenwe will be looking at investments. No capitalist investments,Wearenotheretomakemoneyandthen moremoney.Weareheretomakemoneyandhavean impact in the world Finally, We are going to be lookingatpublicfunding.Asattheendoftheday,We aregoingtobeabusinesssowejustwanttobeableto befullysustainingsowejustdon’tgetmoremoneyall ofthetime Wearenotanamazon Wewouldlose moneyforthenext25generationsinthenameof growth.Wedon’tbelieveingrowth.Inthesameterm wearethinkingaboutit

What measures do you have in place to ensure that you don't have as much as you would get in a regular cafe?

Sotheregularstuffthatwearedoingismadetoreuse andnotcreatemuchimpact Soforexample,thecafé thatweuseeverythingiscookedbyourlocalresidents Sothathasaverylowimpactoncarbon.Thebeansthat weusearerescued.So,Forexample,thecoffeethatwe haveareusedfromroastersWhentheyareroastingthe coffeebeansthenattheendoftheday,Theyhavegota surplusthattheydowhichisthattheythrowaway.So whatwedoisworkwithacompanythatisusingthe surplusandsellingittous Sothemethodsofususing it,isaskingwhatweneedrightnow?Butatthesame timeletsnothavetoomuch.Sowedon’tthrowit away.Butifwehavetothrowitaway,wewilljustgive itawaySoitwilljustcreateafoodbankforpeoplewho areinneedItisjustsomehelpwearegivingthemWe alsoofferwarmclothes,Soforpeoplewhoareinneed. Wealsocheckwhatwearethrowingawayinourbins whichisverytinyifyoucomparethattoanaturalcafé Wedoabouthalfabinperweek.Butifwehaveto

CAPTURING CRISIS

throwitaway,wewilljustgiveitaway.Soitwilljust createafoodbankforpeoplewhoareinneedItisjust somehelpwearegivingthem.Wealsoofferwarm clothes,Soforpeoplewhoareinneed.Wealsocheck whatwearethrowingawayinourbinswhichisvery tinyifyoucomparethattoanaturalcafé Wedo abouthalfabinperweek.

How long have you been operating now?

Wehavebeenoperatingsincethe10thofSeptember 2022.Soattheendofthisweekenditisgoingtobe6 weeks and we are going to expand until 18th of December2022.Ifwereceivethefunding.Asitisa popupandaswellwearetrialingtheprojectaswell.

What are your business hours?

Sofar,weareopenThursdaytoSunday.From10AM to7PMHowever,wearegoingto changeittohalfdaystoThursdayandFriday,Aswe don’tgetenoughpeopletocomeonthesedaysbutwe havesomepeoplethatcome.So,Weareworkingon howwecancreateanenvironmentwherewearestill havingpeoplebutAtthesametimehavingalocal community.Forexample, “Ican'tpaymybills,MyflatisverychillynowCanI comehere?”

“Yes,Ofcourseyoucan”. Sowejusthaveloadsofpeoplewhojustcomewith theirchildrentoplay,justforalittlebitoftime.To answeryourquestion,wearelookingatthis.

Who are most of your customers?

MostlyParentsSoParentswithChildrenaswellMost Childrenhavetheagerangefrom2yearsto8years old.WealsohaveloadsofteenagerswhoplayPing Pongbecauseitstartsat4pm.Wegetaround16 peoplewhocometoplayat7pmforthetournament Then,regularpeoplewhoareeitherlocalsorpeople whoaremuchallabouttheenvironment.

What Progress have you made so far? Wearetrackingourimpactthroughmultiplelenses. That is through the different pillars that we have socially Sotheonethingwehaveforsocial,Isthat have we fostered a sense of community with the peoplearound?Wehaveatrackertomeasurethisand wetrackthenon-verbalpeoplethatcome.

Sofarforexample,Wehavehad1,000peoplein5weeks ThathascomethroughthisdoorThenwearetracking environmentalimpact.Wearetrackingthe volumeofpeoplewhoareteachingstuffthatarepositive forthem.Sothingslike,MentalHealthandhowto repairthingslikeaworkshopthatistakingplacetoday. Wearetrackingthat300eoplehavejoinedusinan event in 5 weeks. We are also tracking our CO2 emissions.Ican’ttellyouhowmuchwehavetrackedas itisinanapp.Idon'thaveitrightnowinfrontofme. WehavenotrackofMentalHealth.Simplebecausewe don'thavethatpowerintoplaceandatimeofscaleto seeatrueimpactSoyeah,butIthinkIhavemissedsome thingsasIdonthavemyspreadsheetinfrontofmeright toanswerthisquestionprobably

Are your workshops regular?

No,Theyarenot.Wehaveabout4eventsperweekthat takeplace.Sowehave:Yoga,Artclasses,Homework supportandBookclub,thatareregularonaweeklybasis. Then we add stuff that are more towards the environmentalagenda.Soliketherepairtodayandthe typeofstuffthathappened,Theyarenotregularbutwe trytoputonatleastonceaweekworkshops,Alongside thestuffwearealreadydoing

Interview with Arthur Perez (He/Him), The Co-Founder of the Village Transcribed by Amy Daintree

ARTHUR SERVING FOOD MAKED BY THE RESIDENTS

Zoltan Varga

Photography:

Photography: EDEN DE FEO

Life during lockdown was a nightmare for me, not just me, many others; but I felt like I was the only one greatly affected by it… I just moved into my own flat and couldn’t get it decorated because of having to self-isolate, I was starting university soon and I felt very underprepared especially because I wasn’t settled in the flat, and all in all I just felt lonely.

encompass the feelings I had during lockdown and uncertain times.

To help myself cope with these feelings I went for walks and took up skipping as exercise. These photos I have taken

Photography: SÓL EIRIKSDOTTIR

According to Plato, "Beauty was an idea or Form of which beautiful things were consequence. Beauty by comparison begins in the domain of intelligible objects, since there is a Form of beauty".

I think this relates to my portion as although I've chosen a form, it largely remains androgynous and mystical.

Photography: Martina Ignatova

Businesses too are not exempt from the economic crisis. It is becoming more apparent that many businesses and in particular large corporations are seemingly struggling to sustain during this period when the inflation is at its highest. It is no secret that in order for the business to survive, it has to be profitable. However, the current economic crisis have hit businesses hard. They are faced with large overhead costs, increased energy bills, hike in rent fees and additionally, long and often delayed import of products arising as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine and staff shortages. I was lost for words to say the least when I saw that one of the most known beauty and fashion store House of Frazer in Westfield shopping centre is closing soon. It is just unthinkable to imagine how many people’s jobs would be lost as a result of the closure, but equally the reality is that many people no longer choose to purchase branded clothing due to the rise of the living costs and expenses, hence businesses who predominately sell high end branded clothing are loosing their customers fast, meaning that such businesses are no longer profitable. Small businesses are also in the same position and many have already closed down

All items of clothing in House of Fraser were significantly reduced, due to closing down. Large signs were places across the entire store to catch the attention of the customers.

Photography: TSARA OUSSENI

H A D O W S O F T H E U N K N O W N

The hiding-living shadow, where no one can’t see or hear its voices. These pictures expressed the journey of loneliness and hopeless. Where none light can be found yet the ocean has it’s ways to bring the unknowns hope.

Headlines are turned on the most poor, impacted severely by the current cost of living crisis. As the economic gap is widening, my attention is on documenting those areas of London that are recognised as the most affluent.

2022 has been classed as the year of unprecedented hunger, seeing the number of people facing acute food insecurities increase from 135 million in 53 countries to 345 million in 82 countries, pre to post pandemic. The global hunger crisis has been exacerbated by conflict, climate shocks and COVID-19, recently escalating as the war in Ukraine drives up the costs of food, fuel and fertilisers. Turning the lens on independent, foreign food shops and restaurants in London, this photo series explores the unfolding impact of the increased cost of living and economic downturn on marginalised communities within the food industry.

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