Menace to Society

Series of four

This series was inspired by press reports of boy soldiers carrying British weapons in Sierra Leone and by stories of Yardies in Britain. They reflect the Western fear of, and desire for, the Exotic.  A literary parallel is the Alex Garland book The Beach, which describes both the thrill and fear of travel in South East Asia. This fear combined with the local ‘colour’ is part of the thrill – such as the passage where the hero is persuaded to drink snake blood.  In London each year the Nottinghill Carnival attracts young people from Europe and beyond, exotic colour with an undercurrent of danger or tension all adding up to an exciting ‘street’ experience. The pieces also reflect an on-going interest in the souvenir ‘dolls-of-the-world’, available in national dress at every international airport.