twenty one

not going to be 21 for long

Q:what were you thinking and feeling at 21?

kerry francis

the oval, january 2013

bancroft road, decemeber 2012

fractured elbow, february 2013

bethnal green road, april 2012

not going to be 21 for long. [felicity, 2012]

los banos del carmen, august 2012

regent’s park, september 2012

felicity’s room, novemeber 2012

at 21, i’d just packed in university, i’d joined the army and i was wondering if it was the right decision i’d made. had to pay off all my student loans and i was about to get married

and i knew i wasn’t doing the right thing there either, it was quite stressful. [ian, 2000]

14 portelet road, february 2013

shoreditch high street, november 2012

back garden, february 2013

haverfordwest, december 2012

staff toilet, february 2013

field day, may 2012

bathroom, december 2012

i’d just had a massive breakup. i broke up with claes. i was so lost. but, it was good

because i started uni and thats when i met you guys. that’s pretty much it. [lucia, 2011]

49 hanbury street, february 2013

132 shardeloes road, july 2012

regent’s park, september 2012

rooftop, november 2012

well, my first reaction to that is, i’d already been in the navy life for 3 years, so you know where i’m going with this. i was based in

little hampton, that’s in sussex, and the day of my birthday i don’t remember much after 12pm. in those days in the navy you had the

tradition of a free tot of rum, so they would issue a certain amount of rum to each mess of about 30-40 men. you’d all take your measure of rum, a large measure you know? when it was your birthday the guys offered you

some of their rum, and you were either a sipper or a gulper and i was a gulper. i fell asleep on the wagon back to work so they took me back to the mess where we had these huge stone fires as there was no central heating in those days. i was in a very bad way. i remember going to bed, it was a double stacked bed and of course mine was the top. the toilet was outside - i was halfdressed and barefeet. all the sheets on my bed were as black as the ace of spades. it was all about getting pissed up

to your eyeballs. [grandad, 1955]

barry island, april 2012

bedroom, january 2013

jess’ room, september 2012

rhoose, march 2013

ben’s kitchen, march 2013

when i turned 18 it meant becoming an adult, whereas turning 21 meant becoming a man, not a boy or teenager. it’s an official milestone that i

was uneasy with because it meant that i was older and presumably in control, i didn’t feel grown up. i felt like i was being distanced from my youth. after taking it a bit hard at first, my hangover soon helped

me realise i was only 21, chill out.[tommy, 2012]

kitchen, july 2012

pub on the park, april 2012

3

malaga, august 2012

it was my first year of uni. what’s the word, pessimistic? [john, 2010]

florida street, february 2013

portelet road, january 2013

field day, may 2012

regent’s park, september 2012

hendon, december 2012

bethnal green road, january 2013

oh my god! well that’s when i got married, thinking i would travel the world with the RAF but instead i moved to north yorkshire. dad got sent to northern ireland within days. i was

quite lonely. i suppose it was like going to uni, you just get on with it. Then the birds started to get into the house and dying. did i

tell you about that? [mum, 1983]

mum’s fridge, october 2012

back garden, january 2013

dean’s room, march 2013

22 kingsland road, february 2013

columbia road, february 2013

globe town, march 2013

134 Kingsland Road, March 2013

at 21 my mind reverted to that of the 6 year old leah-”i wanna be a superstar, sing forever and never marry boys because they are gross.

” it was a progression from my teenage years where i only thought about boys and shoes. then i

realised shoes were hurting my feet and the boys were hurting my heart.so i went back to the

original thought process... it’s working much better. [leah, 2010]

ronan, january 2013

folgate street, may 2012

globe road, january 2013

bathroom, december 2013

bank station, december 2013

god i hope i get laid/dead soon. [alex, 2009]

living room, march 2013

22 kingsland road, february 2013

mile end road, april 2012

field day, may 2012

49 hanbury street, march 2013

roman road, january 2013

bathroom, february 2013

barry high street, march 2013

oh i can’t remember where i was. i was in germany, wildenrath, thinking about how many

beers i could drink and how many bombs i would prep. it was the cold war. [dad, 1977]

rhoose flying club, january 2013

photographs taken between 28.03.2012 - 28.03.2013