There's No Place Like Home

The Calais jungle is now home to more than 6,000 people. Here's just one. There's No Place Like Home

A man stands amidst his washing next to a board showing the alphabet, a set of chairs, and his home. April 2015. Each small detail of this photograph tells a bit more of the story. From the storing of toothbrushes upon the roof, to the shoes below the table. Who else lives with him? Family? Friends? Strangers united only by their common goal: to survive? I travelled to Calais with my mum as part of a recent project. Before we knew it we had driven into what is now being called the 'Calais Jungle'. Scenes of tents, football games, and groups with shopping trolleys surrounded us. As we slowed past this accommodation I managed to snap a few pictures. I felt helpless to the residents here. The reality that we were 'spectating' them with nothing to give became all too real and we left shortly after this photograph was taken. I'm hoping I help by sharing this image; I don't want this to be just a personal project. I'm hoping I help show just a snapshot of what it is like in Calais. Something that I still struggle with is the idea that what we witnessed, what's shown in this photo, is better than where they've fled from.