We met outside camp borders

“Can I take your photo?” I asked.
He answered : “Why?”
“Your photograph will not represent who I am. This is not how I want to live, this is a temporary situation”. He took his phone out and showed me photos from back home, with his family.
“This is who I am, this is me”.

So instead, we went for a walk and a coffee. After time spent together and talking about my photography work, he let me take his portrait but only if I promised that the photographs would not show his face.

This is a story where Calais the town meets Calais the camp. While the self-built camp existed, they co-existed and blended in one another – while being wholly separated.

Living under the constant presence of cameras pointing at them, people living in the camp put on a sign saying “No photos, no tourists”.

Calais, France 2015

Ongoing