Portrait
When Mehmet arrived two years ago in London, he never would have anticipated that one day he would be interviewed by two curious UCL students. He was 35 when he first arrived in London from Adana, and full of ambition and dreams of prosperity. He lives in Hackney Downs, due to the rich Turkish community there. He partnered with his cousin to open a butchery, and then he found the perfect location in a vacancy under the Aziziye mosque, on the main street. Because of the location, it is quite popular and there is always a throng of people coming and going. Due to the popularity, he already has four people working under him, Mehmet is the manager at present. Now he has an abundance of friends who come by his shop daily and he feels completely at home. He is planning to open a second shop in the near future, a long way from the economic migrant who come to London with only 200 euros in his pocket.
We chose to take the portrait of Mehmet in front of the tiled wall of the blue mosque. We choose the mosque as the background as it plays a significant role in his life as his shop is right underneath. It also symbolizes his life in a way, as it represents something of Turkey (with its specific architecture, blue tiles, and the floral pattern) in a foreign place. His posture is loose with his hands behind his back. This is a good representation of his willingness and bashfulness at the same time. Whilst asking whether we could take a picture, he was very coorperative and humbled. His willingness to adapt to a completely new and strange environment and thrive in it, impressed us a lot and encouraged us to do the same.
Collage
European London 