My practice is rooted in personal memory and social history, drawing upon lived experience of growing up on council estates in the UK during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. These environments—often characterised in the public imagination by narratives of poverty, neglect, and violence—also held within them strong currents of community, resilience, and belonging. As a child, these estates were not just places to live; they were dynamic spaces of adventure, mischief, and formative experience.

Much of my current work revisits these sites, many of which still exist today, though few remain untouched by the passage of time or the pressures of redevelopment. I return to them with a camera in hand, navigating the landscape with both purpose and intuition. Sometimes I am guided by a clear, pre-existing memory; other times, the act of walking itself prompts recollections—small visual triggers unlocking larger narratives.

The resulting works form interconnected vignettes—some humorous, others disquieting or even sinister—that reflect both my personal history and broader shared experiences of life in these often-overlooked spaces. Photography serves as the initial method of engagement, capturing the essence of a site or moment. From there, I translate the image into drawing, using fineliner pens to render the scenes in detail. Red ink is employed as a visual device—marking emotional significance, highlighting trauma, or amplifying specific threads within the narrative.

This body of work is currently centred on my time living on Avenham estate in Preston, Lancashire, during the 1970s and 1980s. Through this exploration, I aim to reframe and reclaim the aesthetics and stories of these communities—complex, layered, and deeply human.