SWXX is not just a postcode, it is a state of mind
As a photographer and art director, I have spent many years travelling and observing things. I had a great time documenting design, food and travel for magazines, looking at beautiful escapes and the exotic otherness.
Then a few years ago I decided to slow down and live a less hectic life. I took up cycling and started to notice wonderful things about my local streets in southwest London. ”God lies in details”, says German art historian Aby Warburg.
Cycling at Royal Hospital Gardens, Chelsea. Photo © Stefano D’Amadio
I love London and every part is unique. The southwest by the river Thames has a distinct style, which can be described as ‘fine and understated’. It is easily mistaken as conservative and subdued, until like Warburg suggested, you start to look at the details closely.
The area that I live in now, between Parsons Green and Chelsea, has been a hub of furniture and interior design for many decades. Designers of the 19th century Arts and Craft movement, William Morris and Edward Coley Burne-Jones, had lived just a few miles away at North End Road and Hammersmith.
SWXX is a note about home, and the great things that we cherish about this place. It is an observation on community, culture, creativity, local businesses and visualising the faces of my local borough. SWXX is not just a postcode, it is a state of mind.
I hope you’ll enjoy this journey.
Zarina
Twitter @heartSWXX
All images and text copyright © Zarina Holmes unless otherwise stated. www.zarinaholmes.org. Zarina also tweets about visual journalism and media at @zarinaholmes. SWXX is published by Cat & Cream.
