Searching for Richard
I met Richard late November 2014. He appeared to me as a man with tough skin, a hard shell, who at first sized me up and pushed to intimidate me. We shared a few details about ourselves which grew to conversations oriented around Richards lifestyle on the street and his past time served in jail. After a long period of talking, Richard let his guard down and allowed me to document him. After our encounter we both agreed to meet the next day, at 12pm, the same place. This was a gamble as Richard had no me ans of contact, plus the drinking made his life unpredictable and he would lose track of organisation and time. Richard never showed up, I expected this to be the case though I was not dissapointed. It caused me to deeply consider the permanence of anything in Richards life. With each day his ‘home’ will change, his habit allows him to “let people and the city get on with their lives” and in the midst of it all he becomes adrift and invisible. I was keen to learn more about Richard, his past, jail time and how these things have affected the person he is today. I now search for Richard.
“I have been behind bars, I know how to look after myself on the street.�
“Once you enter the jungle, you come out an animal. I don’t fit in anymore, I can see that.”
“Sure we can meet up tomorrow, I won’t say I will still be stood on this spot. Feel free to come look for me, I will be around somwhere.”
In my search, I explore back to the locations people say they last saw Richard without any success. I begin to notice that my eye draws upon similarities that resemble my own personal image of Richard. I hunt shadows around each corner however these shadows are nothing but endless widows of opportunity left absent.
Copyright Š Luke Johnston