Hope. Despair. Miracles.
(2019 - 2024)
Emerging in 2019 from a need to feel hopeful, Hope. Despair. Miracles. focuses on the ordinary people making a real difference, in Longsight, a working-class multi-ethnic neighbourhood in South East Manchester.
Fourteen years ago, I left Mexico, my motherland, to cross the ocean in search of my British identity, carrying with me a romanticised idea of the so-called'developed world.’ Manchester, my birthplace, is now my second home.
Moving here opened my eyes to a rich mix of worlds, drawn from a historical Empire, that cohabit and collide. Longsight, a densely populated area known for its large Pakistani community is in essence, the closest version of Mexico I found accidentally.
The area’s chaotic surface conceals an abundance of positive change that remind us that a place should never be judged by its front cover.
In a post-Brexit UK and post-Covid world that is enduring a cost-of-living crisis, ‘Hope. Despair. Miracles.’ shows us hope through action and confirms that people-led change is attainable through the power of togetherness.
To remain hopeful, the images invite us to find beauty in the ordinary and shift our focus onto the small wins. These wins, in the face of great odds, can seem like miracles.
The 64-page, full-colour newsprint produced with financial support from Manchester City Council, can be purchased here. All texts are in English and Urdu, reflecting Longsight’s large Urdu speaking communities.
Two portraits included in 'Hope. Despair. Miracles.' were winners of the British Journal of Photography Portrait of Britain Vol. 6.