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époque press
pronounced: /epƏk/
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époque press ezine

What Separates Us?

by Nick Vagus

Epoque Press ezine - Nick Vagus photography
Epoque Press ezine - Nick Vagus photography
Epoque Press ezine - Nick Vagus photography

It is great to welcome back @NickVagus (aka 'DrifterNick') following on from his work which was included in our first ezine ‘Beneath our Feet’. The six images included here were taken in Cape Town, Lisbon, Berlin and Birmingham and capture the borders which are encountered in the everyday lives of the people who live there. Based in Cheltenham, DrifterNick expresses his art for free through his twitter account and has recently started using Instagram under the same domain name.

Barrio Padre Cruz

This image was taken in January 2018 in the outer suburbs of Lisbon, Portugal. The area is the Barrio Padre Cruz - a deprived area of Lisbon with high levels of poverty and poor quality housing. The borders between the housing is used as nothing but a through-way but in this instance, you can see that an improvised street art mural has been created to enhance the alleyway and somewhat amusingly, a chair has been placed outside of the opposite neighbours house directly in front of the mural.

The Wall

This was taken in 2016 at the Berlin Wall in the former East Germany. The wall is largely demolished now but a section remains on the side of the river which now serves as a 'street art' gallery. Tourists visit this section to take photos of the remnants of the Cold War. The image catches both the posing tourists, as well as the photographer casting a suspicious glance back towards the viewer.

New Street

This image was captured in the newly redeveloped Birmingham New Street Station. The view of the opposite platform shows commuters waiting for their train home. Borders not only exist between the individuals - as evidenced in their splendid isolation from each other - but also between the platforms. The 'Mind The Gap' line provides a formal boundary to frame the image.

Epoque Press ezine - Nick Vagus photography

Imizamo Yethu

This was taken in February 2016 in a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. The township is called Imizamo Yethu (meaning "Our Efforts" in Xhosa) and the photo shows the borders between the township houses are make-shift and dilapidated and the nature of daily life is inherently hazard. Despite all their hardships, the young men of Cape Town have a keen eye for fashion and make efforts to dress up whenever they go out. The incongruity of the decay of the alleyway against the sharply dressed men, couldn't be more apparent.

Epoque Press ezine - Nick Vagus photography

On Guard

Again, taken in Cape Town, the hazardous border between the make-shift township housing is apparent.

Epoque Press ezine - Nick Vagus photography

The Line

Taken at the Cape Town Township, this image shows two women chatting after hanging out their washing between the borders of the houses. A chat about life and whatever is occupying their minds is a constant across all communities across the globe, regardless of circumstances and whatever borders are present between people's lives

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