We never had access to the barge itself. Instead, we returned over the course of a\u00a0year, slowly building relationships. We met men in caf\u00e9s, gardening, on walks, at community gatherings. We met local residents who had stepped forward to help. What we found wasn\u2019t a\u00a0simple story of division. It was more human and more layered; frustration, dignity, humour, boredom, resilience. A\u00a0deep sense of waiting in limbo. And, most beautifully, reciprocity. The support wasn\u2019t one-directional; care flowed both\u00a0ways.<\/p>\n
It became clear that the Bibby was designed to function as an aggressive political symbol of migration deterrence. Up close, it felt personal, fragile, ongoing. Leonard Farraku\u2019s death made that painfully clear. For the men onboard, the stakes were never abstract.<\/p>\n
The project became personal very quickly. We found ourselves, in many ways, folded into the Friendship Group, building close relationships with the men and campaigning alongside them for the barge to close. When it finally did, we shared their relief and joy. One of the strangest moments came after that victory. The same community that had fought to see the Bibby shut had to face saying goodbye. As the men were dispersed across the country, the atmosphere was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Two years on, many are still waiting in asylum limbo.<\/p>\n
This work matters to us because it resists the headline version of events. It sits in the space between policy and person. It asks what belonging looks like in practice, and who gets to decide who is \u200b\u201cone of us.\u201d We tried not to make photographs with spectacle. We hope they feel closer than that, about proximity, about time, and about the small, stubborn forms of community that can emerge in conditions no one would choose.<\/p>\n
Bibby Boys by Theo McInnes<\/a> and Thomas Ralph<\/a> opens on March 17 and is on view through April 4\u00a0at Photofusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Buy your copy of Huck 83 here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram<\/a> for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.<\/p>\n Support stories like this by becoming a\u00a0member of Club Huck<\/a>.<\/p>\n