Christoffer Åhlén
Purim.
Stamford Hill, London.
Between 2017 and 2023, I lived in Stoke Newington, just next to the Haredi Jewish area Stamford Hill. I was running a lot in this neighbourhood and every time I was just so curious to know more about these men and women. I wanted to take their portrait and have them tell their story - I never did as I thought that would violate their privacy.
2022 was a bit of a turning point; it was Purim, a holiday I had never heard of before (it’s mental, full of life and blasting techno!) and it gave me the chance to finally take out my camera and document some of the festivities. As mentioned above, the community is famously very private, so naturally my adrenaline levels were through the roof as I didn’t want to upset anyone. I expected the worst but it turned out that when you step outside your comfort zone you create your very best work..
The Observer - winner of Portrait of Britain 2023.
Organised by British Journal of Photography, Portrait of Britain is the UK’s biggest annual photo exhibition celebrating the many faces of modern Britain - shown on thousands of digital screens all across the UK. It’s also in print, a book published by Hoxton Mini Press.
When receiving the news of being one of the winners, I realised I had to try and find the boy’s parents to get approval of having the photograph published. Once again terrified, I went back to Stamford Hill. Third person we asked, just outside one of the synagogue’s, laughed and said he knew the boy’s father. He took out his burner phone, called the dad and one minute later I was talking to him explaining the project.
Best part? Him saying: “if I can help another human, I’d be very happy to”.
Photograph featured in The Guardian and other publications.