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Gwreiddiau - is Welsh for  'roots' This is a deeply personal project started during the first lockdown in 2020. while staying on the Welsh coast I started observing the ecosystems, in particular the plant life in the environment and how it related to my perception of the world at that moment. I wanted to convey many things. The beauty in natural desolation, the desolation in beauty. Also, I wanted to reflect, through nature the fragility of the human form and despite all the challenges, a strong foundation can weather the harshest of storms. 
Back in 2008, I used to see an old man sitting on a bench at the same time everyday, talking to himself -  sometimes happy and sometimes crying. After a number of weeks of always seeing him, I decided to speak to him to ask him if he was OK. he told me he and his wife used to sit on that same bench and enjoy each others company for hours while they watched the world go by. Unfortunately, he lost his wife, but returned to that same bench everyday to remember her life. I took time out everyday to say hello or sit down and talk to him and we became friends. One day he said he would like to write a memoir of his life and give it to me to read. Unfortunately, I never saw him again after that, but I still thought of him whenever I saw the bench.  I took a photo of the bench to remember him and from there decided to create a series of Images of benches, knowing each one has infinite stories to tell; from the ergonomic and design aspect to the spiritual and emotional connection they have with us. This series of images span over a decade, and I will continue to add to this collection.  I hope this will do justice to the old man, who incidentally never told me his name...
An ongoing project which initially started with talented local painter, Chanelle Riley in 2012, just before the London Overground arrived in Peckham Rye and became the  'trendy hotspot' it is today, this is an abstract look at a place I have called home for the majority of my life: Peckham, Camberwell and Walworth; every corner of these postcodes are full of history, beauty, controversy and vibrancy.  I have lived worked and grown up in this area of South London and have seen many changes, but the proposed changes for the future leaves me with an air of concern. I hope to show of the essence of this place I call home through this series of works. 
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© 2025 John Yabrifa.
 

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