Graeme Williams: The Inner City

 Book a bit worn, has a little liquid damage and some pages bent slightly but images still maintain their quality. (see pictures)

This project was the first major body of work that I had attempted since South Africas change to democratic rule in1994. I experienced this transition period as a strange time. As a photographer, working in an environment that was dominated by the legacy of apartheid, it was difficult to come to terms with the changes. On a purely photographic level there was a relief that this overpowering shadow had finally been lifted from my way of seeing the world. I didnt have the same moral obligation in terms of focus. On the other hand, it left me feeling that I would have to start from scratch in terms of discovering what it was that now motivated me to photograph, and what my identity as a photographer was on both a personal and more general level. Prior to 1994 it had been very difficult to work on a project without apartheids presence being felt and feeling the need that it should be felt but in a lot of ways it made things easier because it provided a starting point for all thoughts that had a social or documentary basis.

During the first few years post-1994 I was happy to let the dust settle, and I worked for magazines, newspapers and corporates and travelled around Southern Africa on commissions. Later, when I started feeling the urge to develop a new essay, I began to seriously consider my core reason for being a photographer and the direction I wanted to take. Initially, there was simply an acknowledgement that I missed being involved in a project, but this wasnt enough to get me going and committed to a particular project. Without much real direction I decided to just start photographing and let things unfold see where they fell.

Softcover: 110 pages

dimensions: 24 cm x 24 cm x 2cm

weight: 530 grames

After a while, I began to realise that the content of my photographs appeared to be reflecting my personal state of mind at the time. I felt very removed from the day-to-day realities of the world. I think that in part this was due to the extremes that I had been exposed to during the five-year period that I was covering the violence and intense politics leading up to 1994. But I think it was this sense of isolation, and apartness, that drove this project and, for me, gave it a sense of cohesion, as well as meaning. I would often immerse myself in these feelings before heading out to photograph and then I would see what came my way.