All along the banks of the Grand Canal #1

February 10, 2021

6 February 2020

One of the (mostly) beneficial aspects of these interminable lockdowns has been the enforced periods of reflection. Lots of time to spend looking at old photographs and sometimes even making new ones.

In December 2019, back when we had no idea what was ahead of us, I moved into a house in South Dublin, just a few streets away from the Grand Canal.

This 128km long waterway became an outdoor lifeline as Covid-19 changed our world. I would walk and run the banks as our world shrunk, the length of my canal shrinking down to less than 10km. All the while I would take photographs, not documenting so much as reassuring, finding some stability in a world turned upside down.

Shuanny Hifive, No 20 Freeda Road. © Sabelo Mlangeni

Fascinating Photographs #3 - Shuanny Hifive No 20 Freeda Road by Sabelo Mlangeni

December 20, 2018

I think Sabelo Mlangeni is probably the best young(ish) photographer in South Africa. If you don’t know his work go and look at his projects, Country Girls, At Home/Ghost Towns (links included at the end of this post) and even his first project, Invisible Women, made when he was still studying at the Market Photo Workshop. It is very hard to think of anyone else who has so consistently produced nuanced, thoughtful images that actually expand our understanding of modern day South Africa. This image, Shuanny Hifive, No 20 Freeda Road, is one that underlines this class.