Where We Live is a documentary-style photography series that examines the relationship between place, identity and community in the UK. Informed by human geography, environmental psychology and sociology perspectives, the series explores how the spaces we inhabit—our streets, neighbourhoods and landscapes—both shape and reflect social life. The project investigates how physical environments influence personal and collective identity, fostering a sense of belonging and attachment to place (Tuan, 1977; Massey, 1994).
Place is not merely a passive setting for human activity but an active force in shaping social and cultural experiences (Lefebvre, 1991). The photographs in Where We Live highlight the lived dimensions of space, capturing its material, social, and symbolic elements. From densely populated urban centres to quiet rural landscapes, the series documents the dynamic relationship between people and their environments, showing how places are constructed and experienced through memory, routine, and interaction (Cresswell, 2004).
The series also considers the broader historical, economic and political forces that shape the UK’s landscapes. Urban development, migration, and social inequality all leave visible and invisible imprints on the built environment, influencing how individuals and communities engage with their surroundings (Harvey, 1996). Through visual storytelling, Where We Live reveals how people inscribe meaning onto space, from preserving architectural remnants of the past to shaping the evolving character of contemporary neighbourhoods. By engaging with these images, viewers are encouraged to reflect on their relationships with place and consider how environments mediate identity and social belonging, reinforcing the role of visual sociology and documentary photography in understanding human-environment interactions (Pink, 2013; Rose, 2016).
Share this project with others to foster a deeper awareness of how places shape our lives in the UK.
Don’t forget to check out my other projects, Where We Live and Who We Are, for additional insights into these themes.
References
- Cresswell, T. (2004). Place: A Short Introduction. Blackwell Publishing.
- Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. University of California Press.
- Harvey, D. (1996). Justice, Nature and the Geography of Difference. Blackwell.
- Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. Blackwell.
- Massey, D. (1994). Space, Place and Gender. Polity Press.
- Pink, S. (2013). Doing Visual Ethnography. SAGE Publications.
- Rose, G. (2016). Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to Researching with Visual Materials. SAGE Publications.
- Tuan, Y.F. (1977). Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience. University of Minnesota Press.