Popeye

[Black_Square]

This is Mel.

I met her in the Bear Pit in Bristol. Anyone who knows the city will know the place: a strange, sunken roundabout, part subway, part amphitheatre, part forgotten public space. Over the years there have been attempts to make more of it, with markets and pop-ups coming and going, but lately it feels as though more and more people are having to sleep there. It is a visible reminder of the homelessness crisis in Bristol, which, from what I see, only seems to be getting worse.

Running out from the Bear Pit are a series of subways lit by these cold blue lights. I had wanted to make a portrait there for a while, so when Mel and her partner stopped to chat, it felt like the right moment.

Mel is homeless, but what struck me most was her energy and warmth. There was a real positivity about her, despite circumstances that must be incredibly hard to live with day to day. I think some of that comes through in the portrait, along with something quieter too, a sense of vulnerability.

Before we parted, I told Mel that when she finds a home, I’ll make sure she has a print of this photograph to hang on her wall.