'Barras Market’ is a photographic documentary series that focuses on the once thriving Barras Market and the older generation of traders who still work there today. The market is steeped in nostalgia and in many ways is a time capsule to the past. The market, which was established in 1921, holds an iconic status within the city. However over the past 20 years has been slowly fading. There is still a strong sense of community & camaraderie amongst the elderly traders and their customers who not only work and visit the Barras, but feel they belong to it.

 

While making this series, I would focus on the more banal moments of the market, when the hustle & bustle had died down & what’s left are the rituals and routines of the community. You would see the same faces shuffling around looking for bargains and brick-a-brac in the cold, the stall holders bantering with each other, the empty corridors with closed shutters from recently vacated stalls and the sound of bacon sizzling amongst all the chatter in the cafe. I tried to blend into these scenes & capture the essence of these small intimate moments of the markets self-contained world that encapsulates time and friendships.